Inuyasha and Kagome: A Feudal Fairytale
by TNSasukeLover
Summary: In the Feudal Era of Japan, a young princess and prince are forced to get married and are only given three years to fall in love with each other. But neither one wants to marry the other. Will they fall in love in time? Or will the worst befall these two kingdoms?
1. Chapter 1

In the beautiful land of the Feudal Era of Japan, a carriage is headed for a special occasion. Within the carriage was a king and queen with a sixteen year old princess.

"Mother, do I really have to go through with this?" The sixteen year old asked.

"It had been passed down through many generations that the Northern and Western lands remain united through marriage. Seeing that your younger brother Sota will be in charge of our lands and the leader of the Western lands has only two sons, you are to be the bride of the younger son and keep our tradition and honor going strong," the king said.

"Your grandfather is right dear," the queen said. We have a long lineage of arranged marriages with the Western lands. After the Great War, the Western lands were taken over by the dog demons and our contract of arranged marriages was broken. You have been given the opportunity to mend that bond. If you did not have this arranged marriage with Lord Inutaishou's son, we would have to make an agreement with the Eastern lands. Lord Onigumo's son Naraku is handsome, yes. But I do not think that he would be the best choice for you, my dear or for this kingdom. Lord Inutaishou runs a beautiful kingdom and is a very respectable man. I was once given the opportunity to mend the bond between our lands and was arranged to marry him…"

"Why didn't you?" The teenage princess asked.

"His family thought it distasteful for him to marry a human… So they found a female demon to betroth him to. They had a son and then everything fell apart…"

"Why"

"He fell in love… with a very beautiful princess. Lady Izaiyoi… The demon queen was not happy about this and left. Taking away all of her kingdom and married Lord Onigumo… Funny how that worked out, isn't it? Lady Izaiyoi is my best friend and I am glad she had found happiness with Lord Inutaishou. They had a son together and I am honored to have my daughter be given the opportunity to marry such a man."

"So you are making me do this… because of some war that happened some hundred years ago?"

"That wasn't just any war young lady!" The king replied. "That war tore apart the Great lands that were very peaceful. But Lord Onigumo's ancestors had to try and take over the land and put everything out of balance!"

"So how come Lord Onigumo still has a kingdom?"

"Because his ancestors made a treaty, which claims that they will remain silent and peaceful until the Northern or Western lands fail to keep their lands peaceful. That is why we keep trying to repair the lineage of arranged marriages with the Western lands. It is survival to keep the land peaceful."

It was then that they had arrived at the castle of the Western lands.

"Father! Do I really have to do this?" a man with long white hair and dog ears complained to his father.

"Inuyasha! You will go through with this wedding and you will treat Lady Kagome with respect!" Inutaishou growled. "She is to be your wife and you will treat her as such!"

"This isn't right! I have the right to marry whomever I want. Even if that means I marry no one at all!"

"Inuyasha! You are a prince! And because you are a prince, you must follow the law! The law clearly states that you and your brother must marry by your twenty first birthdays!"

"Then that leaves me four more years to find this girl that will be my wife…"

"No, that leaves you four years to get to know your soon to be wife," Inutaishou replied.

"How come Sesshomaru didn't have to be put into an arranged marriage at seventeen?!"

"Because Sesshomaru revoked his rights to the kingdom! Since he is older, he can do that and that makes you next in line for the throne!"

Inuyasha sighed and walked with his father towards the throne room.

"Inuyasha," Inutaishou said quietly. "I know that you don't like the idea of an arranged marriage… To be honest, I didn't either when I was your age… But I still went through with it."

"Yea, but you got out of it and married Mom. You loved her…"

"Yes, but that decision almost cost me my kingdom and almost started another war. I was lucky enough to find that my first wife had married another prince that had better suited her needs. I can guarantee you that Kagome will be the right choice for you. She is every bit as beautiful as your mother was. Her mother and your mother were best of friends. So I know that this is what your mother would want as well. Please, just give it a try. I promise that, if by three years' time, you two still do not like each other, we will break off the marriage."

"Alright."

"Presenting their royal highnesses, the King and Queen of the Northern kingdom and their daughter Princess Kagome." The royal announcer announced.

Inutaishou stood as the king and queen of the Northern lands entered the room. He walked over and greeted his old friends.

"It is very nice to see you again milady," he said as he kissed the queen's hand.

"It is very nice to see you too, milord. May I present my father," she replied as she introduced the king. "And my daughter, Kagome."

Inuyasha stood from his seat as Kagome entered the room. Inutaishou noticed his son's reaction and introduced Inuyasha.

Inuyasha forgot what he was supposed to do. His father was right, Kagome was beautiful. Her long raven hair reached to the middle of her back and her cheeks were flushed, most likely from being shy. He definitely liked that. Finally, he regained his composure and bowed slightly, taking her hand into his. He felt something within him stir at the touch of her hand but he tried to ignore it as he remembered what he was supposed to do.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, your highness," Inuyasha said then kissed her hand gently.

Kagome wasn't sure what to do anymore. She was floored by his appearance. She had always thought of demons as ugly and terrifying. But this was not what was standing before her. Instead, she was captivated by the beauty of his golden eyes. As he reached for her hand, she felt a shiver run through her. She had hoped that he didn't notice. As he spoke, she thought she would fall onto her knees, but she remained tall. After he released her hand, she curtsied.

"It is an honor to be in your presence."

"Well, we will let you two get better acquainted. Feel free to roam about the castle as much as you want," Inutaishou said as he turned to the king and queen. "Shall I take you to your rooms?

The king and queen nodded and they left Inuyasha and Kagome alone. After a long silence, Kagome spoke.

"So, I guess you are not ok with this whole arranged marriage thing either huh?" Kagome said, not wanting to be rejected. 'Why would someone as gorgeous as him want to marry someone like me' she thought.

Inuyasha looked at her. What was there not to like about it? She was absolutely beautiful. But he responded with a yea and left it at that. 'Why would someone as gorgeous as her want to marry someone like me' he thought.

"So what's it like? Having an older brother?"

"It's a pain in the ass! He revokes his rights to the kingdom leaving his little brother to end up being forced to get married because he is now next in line for the throne." Inuyasha spat out without even thinking.

Kagome just looked at the ground. "Oh…"

"Look, we have to do this whether we like it or not so let's just pretend that we like each other," Inuyasha said, trying to make amends.

Kagome looked at him and nodded. "So, you wanna give me a tour around the castle?"

"Sure…"

After the tour, it was time to eat. Inuyasha walked her to her room and told her that he would be back in a few to escort her to dinner. She nodded and then walked into her room, closing the door behind her.

"So? How did it go?" A girl asked. Kagome looked up and saw her best friend Sango sitting on the bed.

"Sango, I didn't know you were here."

"I came to support you! I know arranged marriages can be tough on a girl so I thought I'd help. So, how did it go?"

"I think he absolutely hates me!"

"What?! How could he hate you? You are the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom!"

"Thanks, but we're not in my kingdom, remember?" Kagome said.

"True, but still, he should treat you like royalty! Haha!"

"Funny humor Sango… I don't even know what to wear to dinner…"

Sango got off of the bed and ran to the dresser. "I got just the dress for you!" She pulled out a beautiful white and red dress. "If this doesn't get his attention, I don't know what will!"

"Thanks Sango. But I think I will save that dress for another time. I think this one will do." Kagome said pulling out a light blue dress.

"Alright, well you better hurry up because he will be here any minute."

When Kagome stepped out to greet Inuyasha, she was stunned by his appearance. He wore a beautiful red Kimono that went well with his beautiful white hair.

'Damn, I should have worn the dress Sango picked out. It would have gone perfectly with him…' she thought.

Inuyasha bowed down slightly. "Shall we head down to dinner?"

"Of course," Kagome replied, taking his arm.

As dinner passed, Inutaishou and Kagome's mother started asking questions.

"So, how was your day?" Kagome's mother asked.

"Alright," Kagome responded.

"Anything interesting," Inutaishou asked.

"Nope." Inuyasha answered.

"Nothing?!" Kagome's mother asked.

"Nothing Mother."

"It would have been more interesting if Kagome wouldn't talk all the time," Inuyasha said.

"Excuse me?" Kagome replied. "Well if you hadn't been so quiet, maybe I wouldn't have to feel the need to talk!"

"What's wrong with enjoying a little slience?"

"A little?! Barely saying three words all day is not a little silence!"

"Well maybe I wouldn't have been so silent if you would stop talking every once in a while!"

"Now, now," Inutaishou said. "Let's calm down."

"No! There is no way I am marrying someone as annoying as her!"

"Well there sure ain't no way I am going to marry someone like you! You don't even know how to treat a woman properly!"

And with that, both Inuyasha and Kagome left the dining hall.

"I take it, it's gonna be a long three years," Kagome's mother said with a sigh.

"You have no idea," Inutaishou said.


	2. Chapter 2

The first year was very rough for everyone. Kagome took many lessons on how to act, dress, and be Inuyasha's wife. Stuff like that, she could handle. But when it came time to actually spend time with Inuyasha himself, everything seemed to fall apart. He would always say something that would make Kagome mad or she would say something that would annoy him and they would go at it.

Inutaishou and Kagome's mother watched as these two constantly got into fights. After a few minutes, they would separate the two. Kagome and her mother would leave the room to resume their duties as Inuyasha and Inutaishou spoke.

"Inuyasha, why must you always be so cold towards Kagome?"

"Why does she have to be so annoying?!" Inuyasha would yell back.

"Inuyasha, that is your future wife that you are talking about! You may as well get used to her because without her, you will cease to have a kingdom!"

"Well, have you ever thought that maybe I don't want to rule this kingdom?!"

Inutaishou stopped. Inuyasha knew that he had gone too far.

"Inuyasha…" Inutaishou said quietly. "You would never have said anything like that to your mother… Was it not because of her that you wanted to rule this kingdom?"

Inuyasha nodded, not looking at his father.

"Then I would expect that you keep that promise to her…" Inutaishou said as he walked off.

Inuyasha knew that his father had a point. "Heh, I can do much better than Kagome, I am sure!"

'You may think that Inuyasha…' Inutaishou thought. 'But you really do not know what you are letting go of by letting go of her. You are blinded by your own selfish desires.'

Kagome and her mother talked about the situation between her and Inuyasha as they walked back towards her classes.

"Honey, why don't you just try to be friendly towards him?"

"Mother, I have tried! But he is just so stubborn and ignorant! Every time that I try to act like a lady around him, he just says something that irritates me and I cannot stand it! How can I respect someone who doesn't respect me?!" Kagome said.

"Kagome… I know what you are going through. There will be many times in your life where you will have to respect the people around you even though they don't always respect you. It's part of becoming a queen…" her mother said calmly.

"I kno… but I at least wished that I would be respected by my own husband…"

"I know darling. Maybe you need to make him respect you. Do not let him know that what he is doing bothers you."

"I will try Mother… I will try."

"Good. Now let's get back to your classes."

The rest of the first year did not go as planned. No matter how hard Kagome tried, she could not hold her tongue around Inuyasha. Every time that he opened his mouth, she just wanted to hit him. And everytime that Kagome would even say something about anything, Inuyasha would respond with a sarcastic response and get Kagome started again.

Inutaishou and Kagome's mother were beginning to think that there was no way these two would ever get along. But they never lost hope.


	3. Chapter 3

As the second year went by, things only seemed to get worse. The feuds between Inuyasha and Kagome got worse and everyone in the kingdom was beginning to take notice at their behavior.

One day, Kagome got a surprise visit from an old friend.

"Big Sister Kagome! It's been so long!" a teenage girl, only a few years younger than Kagome yelled as she ran to her.

"Rin! I am so glad to see you!" Kagome responded as she hugged the younger teenager.

"So? How is your fiancé? Is he handsome? Is he sweet?" Rin questioned.

"No, he is the most pig-headed, arrogant, person I have ever met! Every time we see each other, we get into arguments! I just don't know what to do anymore!" Kagome said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Now, now, I know that Inuyasha can be pig-headed and arrogant. But does he really treat his future bride that way?" a male voice asked.

Kagome and Rin looked to where the voice was coming from. There, stood a person that looked a lot like Inutaishou, only a lot younger and his hair down instead of in a ponytail.

"I'm sorry," the man said as he walked over to Kagome and kissed her hand. "I am Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshomaru."

"Hi…" Kagome said quietly. 'He has to be a full demon since he is older… but he is so much more polite than Inuyasha. Can this really be his older brother?' she thought.

'Can this really be Inuyasha's bride-to-be?' Sesshomaru thought. 'Man, he is lucky to have such a beautiful young woman…'

Rin began to walk away. Kagome noticed that Rin would always try to run away if there was a guy that she was attracted to in the room. She grinned. "Oh, Rin! This is Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's brother…"

Rin stopped in her tracks as Sesshomaru looked up at Rin. Stunned by her beauty, Sesshomaru let go of Kagome's hand and walked over to her.

"Forgive me, milady…" Sesshomaru said as he kissed Rin's hand. "But your beauty is so… radiant… that I could barely take my eyes off of you."

Rin blushed as Sesshomaru spoke. She was definitely attracted to him. Everything about him, his scent, his eyes, and his politeness made Rin feel lightheaded.

Kagome smiled at Rin's reaction to Sesshomaru. 'Finally. Someone that Rin can look up to' she thought as she left them alone.

As she walked through the halls, Kagome noticed that two people were whispering on the balcony above her. She hid from view as she listened to them.

"Inuyasha… you mean to tell me that you do not like your future bride?! What, is she ugly?" a male voice asked.

"Are you kidding Miroku?! She is such an ugly duckling that I would never dream of marrying her!" Inuyasha responded.

Kagome was angered by Inuyasha's words and stepped out from under the balcony so that they could see her.

"Oh, Inuyasha?" she called out.

"What is it woman?!" Inuyasha called out as he leaned over the balcony.

"Sit boy!"

Inuyasha fell over the balcony and onto the floor.

Miroku watched in fear as Kagome brought Inuyasha down with two words.

Inuyasha was puzzled by what had just happened. All she said was sit and he was face down in the dirt. Once he recovered his strength to get up, he began yelling.

"What the hell did you do to me?!"

"Simply put, I had someone put that necklace around your neck while you were sleeping the other night. Every time that you make me angry or disrespect me, all I have to do is say sit!"

Inuyasha was once again face down into the ground. As he got up, he looked at Kagome.

"And well, you see. Haha!" Kagome said as she walked away.

Miroku jumped down to Inuyasha's side. "Damn, your future bride has quite a temper… she's just like you."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome walked away and tried to take the necklace off. He soon realized that she had put some kind of incantation on it so that he was unable to remove it. 'Well… she really does know how to play…' he thought. 'But does she know how to win?'

As Inuyasha walked away from Miroku, Miroku walked in the other direction where he met Sango in the hall.

"My my, I have never seen quite a beauty before!" Miroku said as he took Sango's hands. "Would you do me the honor of bearing my children?" he said as he groped her.

"What?!" Sango yelled as she slapped him and stormed off. "You perv!"

"But milady!" Miroku yelled as he chased after her. "You are indeed the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!"

"Get lost!" Sango yelled back.

As Miroku chased Sango down the halls, Kagome watched from afar.

'I would much rather have that than that stupid Inuyasha. At least he seems to show some affection towards Sango…' she thought.

As the second year continued on, Sesshomaru and Rin were really getting along and Miroku kept chasing after Sango, who was beginning to like him. But as the second year drew to a close, Inuyasha and Kagome still did not like each other one bit. And with Kagome saying "Sit" most of the time, the arguments between her and Inuyasha got worse and worse. But in the end, Kagome always won.


	4. Chapter 4

As the third year began, Inuyasha and Kagome began to take dancing lessons together. It was funny for everyone to watch because Inuyasha had two left feet and Kagome was having trouble dancing with someone who was so bad at it. After a while, they all decided to give up for the day and left so that only Kagome and Inuyasha were in the room.

The silence was very awkward so Kagome decided that she would be the one to start talking.

"You know… I can help you… if you want me to…"

Inuyasha looked at her. "Why would I need help from you?!"

"Well, let's face it Inuyasha. You really don't know how to dance."

Inuyasha knew that this was true but he didn't want to admit it. "I can dance just fine! It's you who has two left feet!"

Kagome wanted to Sit him right then and there. But instead, she sighed and walked over to him.

Inuyasha immediately put his guard up. 'What does she think she is doing?!' he thought.

Kagome stopped when she was in front of Inuyasha. She placed one hand on his shoulder after taking one of his hands and placed it on her hip. Then she took his other hand into her own.

"What are you- " Inuyasha began to ask.

"Shhh. Don't speak. Just follow my lead." Kagome said as she began to sway back and forth.

Inuyasha kept looking down at his own feet as they began to dance. Kagome noticed this and tilted his head up.

"Don't look down… Look at me… Look into my eyes."

Inuyasha did as he was told. And before he even realized it, he was dancing.

Inutaishou and Kagome's mother were standing on the balcony with Sesshomaru, Rin, Sango and Miroku and watched the two of them dance.

"Never in my life did I think that I would see Inuyasha dance again…" Inutaishou said.

"Really?" Sango asked. "You mean he used to be able to dance?"

"Yes… But he stopped after Lady Izaiyoi died." Miroku said quietly. "In fact, you all stopped dancing after Lady Izaiyoi's passing, didn't you Lord Inutaishou?"

Inutaishou nodded. "After Izaiyoi… we just couldn't bring forth the happiness that we once knew… I blame myself for the reason that Inuyasha is the way he is… Always so cold towards Kagome… never wanting to rule this kingdom… I've been shoving all this down his throat since his mother passed…"

"But it is not entirely your fault Father…" Sesshomaru said. "At least you are trying to bring Inuyasha back to the light."

"Is that what this marriage is really all about?" Kagome's mother asked.

"Kagome reminds me so much of Izaiyoi… I truly believe that she is the only one who can break Inuyasha''s heart out of the cold prison that he had placed it in since Izaiyoi's passing…" Inutaishou responded.

"But isn't that a lot to ask of Kagome?" Rin asked.

"Yes… I know it is quite a lot to ask. But like I said, I believe that she will do it without even trying."

They all looked back down at Inuyasha and Kagome who were beginning to slow down their dance.

'He is right. If Kagome could get Inuyasha to dance again, then she can break that ice cold prison that Father is talking about.' Sesshomaru thought.

It wasn't long after they stopped, that their argument began again.

"Inuyasha! Why can't you just accept the fact that you do like me a bit?!"

"Are you kidding?! I would never like you!"

"Then what do you call what just happened?!"

"Simple! I call it just behaving and playing the game!"

"Game?! What game are we playing exactly?!" Kagome yelled.

"You tell me Ka-go-me!" Inuyasha yelled back as he grabbed the necklace around his neck. "You seem to have a way of controlling people! If they don't obey you, you just slip a necklace around their neck and they will obey your every command!"

"That is not why I placed that necklace around your neck! I was sick and tired of the way you have been treating me! I figured that if my words weren't getting through to you, then my actions would!"

"Yea, we see how that turned out for ya! I'm still getting into arguments with you!"

"Well that is your own stupidity!"

Inuyasha stormed off as he yelled his final words.

"I would never marry someone as cold, selfish and stubborn as you!"

Kagome was shocked by Inuyasha's words as were everyone else. Tears began to roll down Kagome's cheeks.

"Then why don't you just go look into a mirror and see who the real beast is…" Kagome said so quietly that only Inuyasha, Inutaishou and Sesshomaru could hear.

Inuyasha stopped for a brief moment, then continued walking away.


	5. Chapter 5

As the third year continued, Inuyasha and Kagome did not talk to one another. Everyone began to worry because it was the first time in three years that Inuyasha and Kagome were in the same room but were not fighting. It was so quiet that everyone was wishing that they would start fighting again. But it never happened. At the end of the third year, Inutaishou and Kagome's mother made their decision.

"So this is it…" Kagome's mother said.

"This is it…" Inutaishou said. "It's not like we didn't try… But they are not even speaking to each other. I can't put your daughter through that… I can't even put my son through that."

"Well, there is still hope."

"How so?"

"Let's have a farewell ball. One night, all the available bachelors and bachelorettes invited… they are sure to get jealous of each other flirting with the other available choices in the kingdoms… And if they do not, then they will at least solve the marriage issue and find someone of their choice…"

"True… You have a point… But will it work?"

"Inutaishou… I have known you for many years… and you doubt my plans now? Izaiyoi would be ashamed."

Inutaishou smiled. "You know… even if this doesn't work out between the two of them… we could always…"

"You know that I couldn't do that… Not to Lady Izaiyoi… Not to you…" Kagome's mother said quietly. "Although I do…"

"I understand." Inutaishou said. "So let's get this ball planned out and happening! We shall invite every available man and woman in the kingdom for this occasion!"


	6. Chapter 6

***A Few Days Later***

"Kagome! You need to get ready!"

"Mom, why do I have to go to this ball," Kagome complained.

"Look, you both got your wish and you won't be marrying each other. You both have made it very clear that you hate each other for the past three years. But please! At least do this one last thing… Please. It's just one dance with Inuyasha and then you are free of your contract." Her mother pleaded.

Kagome sighed. "Alright." She walked over to the dresser and pulled out the dress that her friend Sango had given her that first night. 'I guess it's about time I wear this,' she thought to herself.

Sango walked into the room in a beautiful pink and green dress. "Oh Sango! You look amazing," Kagome said as she walked out of the bathroom in her own dress.

Sango could barely speak. Kagome waved her hand in front of Sango's face. "Are you okay?"

"Kagome… You look… absoulutely… beautiful!"

"Thanks. You don't think it's too much? After all, it is a farewell dance…"

"It's perfect! It will show his exactly what he is going to miss out on," Sango replied.

Inutaishou arrived to escort Kagome to where she would enter the ballroom. "Kagome, you look stunning!" he said calmly. "I am very sorry that this could not work out because I believe that you will make a fine Queen! You are very graceful, polite and beautiful. You remind me of my late wife, Izaiyoi…"

Kagome didn't know what to say other than, "Thank you…" She took his arm and was led to the ballroom entrance. As they walked through the halls, Inutaishou and Kagome talked.

"So, why didn't you two get along?"

"I don't know… When I first met him, I thought he was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I still do… But his attitude is just too much for me. I can't stand being treated the way that he has been treating me."

"So, if he were to somehow change, would you continue with the marriage?"

"I… I don't know. There is just something about him that makes me want to say yes but… I don't know anymore. We spent three years hating each other. I highly doubt anything will change if we continue on with the marriage. It would just end up tearing apart both of our kingdoms and I don't want that to happen."

"Well, I think that Inuyasha just needs the right push to get him to realize what he is letting go of… I almost once made that same mistake… With Izaiyoi. I was going to put my kingdom and my own selfish feelings over love. But Izaiyoi was able to change me. She made me see what I was doing was making my kingdom fall into darkness. She made me fall in love instantly with a single touch of her hand."

"That's amazing. But I highly doubt that Inuyasha would do the same…"

"I highly doubt that."

And with that, they were at the ballroom doors. Inutaishou decided not to give Kagome an entrance announcement to Kagome's relief.

"Go on. Make him fall in love."

Kagome walked out onto the dance floor and just wandered around. She didn't want to approach Inuyasha immediately.

Inuyasha was greeting every woman who was at the ball as he was directed to by his father. 'One of his ways of getting me to meet every eligible woman in the kingdom…' he thought.

As he bowed down slightly to the woman curtsying in front of him, he looked up and saw Kagome. Although, he wasn't sure if it was her, he didn't care. He was stunned by this woman. Without even thinking, he walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. "Milady, may I… have this dance?" he asked, bowing slightly.

Kagome was floored. She never expected Inuyasha to be so polite and graceful about a dance. 'Does he even remember who I am,' she thought. But none the less, she curtsied and gracefully said, "It would be an honor."

Inuyasha led her out onto the dance floor. Her dress matched his Robe of the Fire Rat perfectly. He knew that there was something similar about this lady but he wasn't quite sure what it was. As they started to dance, Kagome began to relax. Sure, she had danced with Inuyasha at other balls but she had never danced with him like this. Everything was so smooth and graceful instead of tense and full of hatred. He led her out into the gardens where they continued to dance alone. She smiled at him, and that was when he finally realized why she looked familiar.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad that we are having this dance… For some reason, I feel like I am really at peace for the first time."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Kagome whispered as she laid her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.

They continued to dance for a while and then sat down for a few minutes. Inuyasha was the first to speak.

"Kagome… I never thought I would say this… but this is most definitely my idea of how a couple should be."

"I agree." Kagome replied as she looked into Inuyasha's golden eyes. 'I don't know what it is, but I feel as though I could do anything with him… That includes spending the rest of my life with him by my side…' she thought.

'I feel as though I would be the happiest man on Earth if time could just stand still.' Inuyasha thought as he lightly grabbed her chin and leaned in.

Kagome understood what he was doing. And she complied. They shared their first kiss under the moonlight in the palace gardens. It was sweet, yet very desirable. It awakened something in both of them. Inuyasha wasn't sure if she wanted to continue, so he pulled back slightly.

Kagome didn't want this kiss to end so when Inuyasha started to pull away, she pushed forward, deepening the kiss. And was relieved to find Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her waist.

Inuyasha broke the kiss and stood up, bringing Kagome to stand with him. He knew where he wanted to be and wondered if she wanted the same.

"Why don't we take this somewhere more… private…" he whispered.

Kagome knew exactly what he meant and became very aroused by the thought of what he had just said. She nodded and replied, "I'd like that."

Inuyasha led Kagome through a secret passageway that his father had shown him a few years ago in case he ever needed to sneak away for a bit or didn't want to be seen. Kagome never knew that passageway was there yet she had lived at this kingdom for three years and pretty much knew the castle like the back of her hand. Finally, they had reached Inuyasha's room where he locked the door behind him.

As he pushed her up against the wall, he kissed her passionately. Kagome felt as light as a feather. Inuyasha continued from her lips to her neck, receiving light moans from her. This made his blood boil with excitement. He began to feel his demon side take over but he fought it back and pulled away from Kagome.

Feeling the absence of Inuyasha's warmth, Kagome looked into his eyes.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

"Nothing… It's just… the demon half of me… wants to take over," Inuyasha said quietly. He did not like having to explain this to her for it made him feel weak.

Kagome laughed at his embarrassment. "Inuyasha… Go ahead… I don't mind. I will have to deal with it at some point won't I? What better time than now to show me every side of you? I want to get to know you. The real you."

And with that Inuyasha let himself go. He pressed her even harder against the wall and kissed her neck passionately. As his hands began to roam her body, Kagome rubbed his ears earning a light growl from the hanyou. Inuyasha couldn't take it any longer so he picked up Kagome and carried her across the room to where he would lay her onto the bed. Almost immediately, he began to remove Kagome's clothes. Kagome, feeling the need to not be the only one having all the fun, starting removing Inuyasha's clothing as well.

Inuyasha, now in his full demon state, slowly entered Kagome. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "You do know that it will hurt…"

Kagome nodded and then smiled. "I am ready…"

Inuyasha needed to hear nothing more. He quickly thrust his member into her, breaking her barrier and completely filling her. Kagome tried not to show the pain that she was in, but Inuyasha understood. He held still until Kagome gave the signal that she was okay by moving her hips against his. He complied by pulling back out and thrusting back in, making Kagome moan in pleasure. He pumped harder and faster until he thought that he wouldn't be able to control himself any longer. Kagome reached her climax, screaming Inuyasha's name. Inuyasha climaxed shortly after, nuzzled into her neck and bit down, leaving his mark on her. He then pulled out and wrapped his arms around Kagome.

Kagome nuzzled into Inuyasha's neck where she quickly fell asleep. Inuyasha listened to Kagome's steady heartbeat and soon after Kagome, fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, when Kagome woke up, she was very sore. She realized that she wasn't in her own room and felt something heavy around her waist. She looked down and saw Inuyasha's arm. She then started to feel Inuyasha's breath on her neck. Memories of what had happened the night before came flooding back to her. She laughed as Inuyasha continued to breathe on her neck. Then, she remembered the mark that was now located right where he was breathing. 'What does this mean,' she wondered.

Inuyasha woke up to Kagome's laughter. Just like Kagome, memories flooded through Inuyasha's mind from the night before. He smiled and started to lick her neck, making her laugh a bit louder.

Now knowing that he was awake, Kagome turned around and kissed him. It was soft and sweet but didn't last long due to knocking on the door. Inuyasha sighed and sat up.

"Who is it?"

"Oh, come on Inuyasha. Who do you think it is?" a male voice replied.

"You better be dressed properly, you lecherous monk!"

"I am, I am." the monk replied. "Now can you please let me in?"

"Hang on, let me get dressed," Inuyasha said. "Kagome, you might want to…"

Kagome nodded and started gathering her clothes. Once she was fully dressed, Inuyasha opened the door.

"Why the hell do you have the door locked," the monk asked as he walked into the room. He saw Kagome sitting on the bed, looked at Inuyasha, then back at Kagome, then back at Inuyasha. "You sly dog!" he yelled, hitting Inuyasha on the back.

Inuyasha closed the door. "Not so loud Miroku!"

"So this is what you were doing when you disappeared at the ball! Wow! And I thought you hated her! No offence Lady Kagome." Miroku said.

"None taken, Miroku." Kagome replied, laughing lightly.

"And I thought I was the only one that got lucky last night…"

"Wait, you and Sango?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Yup! Me and Sango! That girl… She is something else, ya know what I mean?" Miroku replied.

"I sure do," Inuyasha replied putting his arms around Kagome. "You should probably be going, before your mom finds out…"

"True. Alright, I will see you later today." Kagome replied as she kissed Inuyasha and left towards her room, making sure no one saw her leave his room.

Once she entered her room, her mother started to question her.

"Where have you been young lady?" her mother asked.

"I just went out for a walk. I couldn't sleep much last night so I decided I would go talk to Inuyasha… You know, as a final farewell…"

"Oh. I see… So you still don't want this marriage to continue?"

"Mother… I don't know why… But… something changed in Inuyasha last night… I think I… might actually… be… in love" Kagome said slowly.

Kagome's mother squealed at what her daughter had just said. "Oh, Kagome! I was hoping that this would happen!"

"I think we should at least give it another month before any decisions are made," Kagome offered.

"Of course, of course. That would be perfect! I will go tell Lord Inutaishou!" her mother yelled and she ran out the door.

Kagome sat on her bed and thought about what she just did. 'I do want to spend the rest of my life with him, right?' she thought to herself. 'I mean, last night was great… but, will it last?'

Inuyasha walked through the halls with Miroku to the corridors where his father was. Once they entered the room, Inutaishou ran to his son and hugged him.

"I knew you could do it! I just knew it"

"Knew what dad?" Inuyasha asked.

"You made Kagome fall in love with you! I knew you could do it!"

"Father… I… Thank you."

"Alright! Kagome has agreed to give it at least one more month's try. Are you willing to do this?"

"Yea. I'm ready."

Behind a pillar in the corridor, a young woman listened in on the entire conversation. Furious by what was said, the woman ran out of the castle and headed towards another kingdom in the Eastern mountains where she met up with a dark prince.

"Milord… I'm afraid that Inuyasha and Kagome have decided to give it one last try before breaking off the marriage. They seem to have fallen in love with one another…" the woman said.

"Then, we will just have to break them apart…" the dark prince replied.

"But, how Lord Naraku?"

"I don't care how… But Lady Kagome will be mine… Her kingdom shall fall to me and Inuyasha will not be able to run a kingdom without a queen by his side… Leaving his kingdom to fall to me as well."

"Can I be of any assistance, milord?" the woman pleaded.

"Kikyo… you will be the reason that they despise each other… You will go back to the kingdom, flirt with the young prince. Make him forget about Kagome. Make Kagome jealous… Make her be so infuriated with Inuyasha that she will wish that she never marries him." Naraku stated.

"Understood, milord." Kikyo said slyly.


	8. Chapter 8

Inuyasha walked through the gardens, wondering where Kagome was and what she was thinking about. His mind raced with images from that night of the ball. 'Damn, that was a great night… I wonder if she thought the same thing' he thought as he smiled.

Just then, Kikyo walked out from the rose bushes. Inuyasha noticed her and turned towards her.

"Who are you?"

"I am Kikyo, Priestess of the Southern lands. I wander from kingdom to kingdom, hoping to find a place to settle down and help those in need," Kikyo said. "I take it that you are Lord Inuyasha. My, aren't you handsome…"

Inuyasha had a strange feeling about Kikyo. Only one word came to mind. Trouble. He turned to leave, but Kikyo grabbed his arm.

"You know, I get how you feel… being forced to marry a girl you could never love…"

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. 'Do I love Kagome?' he thought.

"You must feel terrible… Your brother being so selfish; leaving the kingdom he was supposed to rule to his younger brother. Such a big responsibility to lay on one person… And your father, forcing you to marry a girl you just met three years ago…" she said as she pressed up against him.

Inuyasha gave it some thought. He was still angry at the thought of what his family had done to him. Forcing him to get married and take care of an entire kingdom. And now that he thought about it, he never did have a say in any of it.

"You're right," he said. "I may not be able to get out of ruling an entire kingdom… but I should at least have a say in who I am going to marry if anyone at all…"

Kikyo could see that her plan was working. She looked towards the entrance of the gardens where she saw Kagome watching the whole scene. 'Perfect.' She thought. 'Just in time…'

Kagome, not sure what to make of this decided to keep her distance. But once she heard Inuyasha's response to Kikyo's words, she felt nothing but hurt and ran. She didn't know where she was running to, but all that mattered to her was that she was away from him. She finally stopped at a cherry blossom tree at the other side of the castle and sat down. All she could think of doing was crying.

Sango saw Kagome and walked over to her side. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

"He doesn't love me… He just admitted it… to another… woman…" Kagome said between sobs.

Sango could not believe what she was hearing. 'Why would Inuyasha be so cruel to say such a thing?' she thought angrily. "Come on Kagome, let's talk it over with your mother."

Kagome looked up at her friend and nodded. She stood up and walked with Sango to where her mother would most likely be… With Inutaishou.

Once her mother and Inutaishou had heard what had happened, Inutaishou stood up.

"Do you have any idea who this woman might be?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I have never seen her before in the castle…"

Inutaishou thought carefully about what he was going to say next. He didn't want to assume the worst, but the way things were going, he could think of nothing more.

"So, I presume that you will be leaving us in the next few days?"

"If it is alright with you… I would feel better leaving as soon as possible… Today… if we can," Kagome said looking at her mother who nodded in response.

"Very well. I do apologize for everything on my son's behaf…" Inutaishou said. "But first, before you go, can I see something?"

Kagome nodded, not sure what it was that Inutaishou wanted to see.

Inutaishou had been noticing that Kagome smelled different the past few days and he was pretty sure he knew why. But just to be sure, he carefully walked over to Kagome and placed his hand on her shoulder, moving her dress ever so slightly to reveal the mark on her neck. 'Just as I thought' he thought to himself. 'How could he be so stupid…"

Kagome knew that whatever the mark was on her neck, it meant something to Inutaishou. But she said nothing and heading towards her room with her mother to pack.

Inutaishou walked off to find his son. Fortunately, Inuyasha was heading straight for him because he also wanted to talk.

"Inuyasha!" Inutaishou growled.

"What is it now Father?" Inuyasha asked.

"What are you thinking?! Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Inuyasha, confused by what his father was saying, just remained silent.

"Inuyasha, how could you say what you said to that woman earlier after what you and Kagome have been though?"

Inuyasha still did not understand what his father meant but he was able to say something in response.

"How do you know about my conversation with Kikyo?"

"Kikyo? Is that the woman who you confessed you so called hatred towards Kagome earlier today?" Inutaishou asked, getting more angry by the minute.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what to say. So he figured he may as well tell his father everything, considering he knew about it all. "Father, I did talk to Kikyo… And yes I did say that I should have a right to marry whomever I want even if that is no one at all… But I never said that I hated Kagome."

"Well that is not how Kagome took it… She is leaving now because of you… How could you be so stupid to say such things after all that you two have been through together?"

"You don't even know what we have been through together!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I know that you two gave yourselves to one another and you claimed her!" Inutaishou yelled back.

Inuyasha took a step back. "What?... H-how?"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. I could tell that Kagome smelled different for about a week now…" Inutaishou said calmly. You claimed her the night of the ball, didn't you?"

"Yea… I did… But what does that matter now? She is leaving! She doesn't want to be with me!"

"From what I say today, she does… She wouldn't be so heartbroken if she didn't… And I know just from that mark on her neck with your scent on it that you feel the same way." Inutaishou explained.

Inuyasha looked at the ground. "There is nothing that I can do now…" he said as he turned around and left.

'Inuyasha… don't let her go… she does not want to do what she will be forced to do next…' Inutaishou thought.


	9. Chapter 9

***Six Months Later***

"Well Kagome… today is the big day…" Kagome's mother said as she helped her daughter with her hair and makeup.

Kagome looked at the ground. She felt like her life was over. Naraku was to become her husband today and she would remain with him, for better… or for worse.

As the wedding commenced, Sango watched her friend do what no one in the entire kingdom wanted to see. Instead of Inuyasha being at the front of the isle, Naraku stood with a smug grin on his face. He looked over at Kikyo who sat in the front row of seats and thought 'This is it. Today is the day where we will take over the Northern lands.'

After the wedding, Kagome felt more exhausted than ever. In the pit of her stomach, she could feel the overwhelming feeling of danger. Not only for herself, but for her kingdom… and the unborn child which she had been carrying for seven months now.

After she left the Western lands, Kagome began to feel ill. Most people thought of it as just heartache, until she started to get really sick. Her mother had the nursemaids look at her and that was when they found out that she was a month pregnant with Inuyasha's child. Not wanting to hook Inuyasha into something Kagome thought he would never want, she decided that she would marry Naraku who had gladly agreed to take care of her and her unborn child.

But Kagome still felt like there was something evil going on around her. It wasn't until that first night, that she finally understood.

Naraku had taken Kagome to their room and locked the door. Kagome immediately felt like she was in grave danger just from looking into Naraku's eyes.

Naraku quickly advanced onto her. He pinned her down and, despite her efforts to stop him, had his way with her.

Kagome, eyes filled with tears and mind running wild, screamed and fought to break free. But In her current state, she did not have the strength to fight Naraku. No matter how much she wished for it, no one came to her aid. She knew what the consequences could possibly be if she let Naraku continue but she couldn't fight back. No matter how much she pleaded, Naraku kept going only saying one thing to her.

"I will not let some bastard's child become the heir to my throne! You will bear my son and only my son!"

Kagome knew what he was trying to do, and as much as she hated what he was doing to her, she could not protect her child. She just hoped that somehow, this night would end quickly.

When morning finally came, Kagome woke up alone and bloody. She immediately knew that Naraku had succeeded in killing Inuyasha's unborn child. She felt empty, for this child was the only memory of Inuyasha she had left. All she could do was crawl up in a ball and cry for the loss of this young life.

Within a month, war had broken out among the kingdoms. Kagome had soon realized that her mother, grandfather and younger brother had been slain by Naraku's men to ensure that her kingdom becomes his. The land had turned dark and Kagome felt that there was no hope for herself or her kingdom anymore. 'Soon' she thought, 'Inuyasha's kingdom will fall to Naraku's men…'

As the months went on, word had gotten around that Inuyasha went to war against Naraku's kingdom and was killed in battle. When those words had reached Sango, she was not sure how to tell Kagome.

Kagome, who had been exhausted from the torture that Naraku put her through every night in attempts to make her conceive his child but to no avail, lay on her bed and cried when Sango delivered the news.

"I am sorry, Kagome. There was nothing that could stop him. According to Lord Inutaishou, Inuyasha left to find you. Once he heard that you were… going to bear his child…" Sango spoke carefully. She knew that it upset Kagome to think about the loss of her child, but continued. "He left to make you his wife… He was going to stop at nothing to get you back. But Naraku's men…"

Kagome calmed down enough to get out a few words. "Sango… Inuyasha died… to protect me. What more could I ask for?..."

'But I swear… I will not let Naraku get away with this…' Kagome thought. 'I will fight him… I will be free… even if it kills me…'


	10. Chapter 10

Later on that night, Naraku had ordered that his nurse maids take a look at Kagome, and tell him why she was not bearing his child. Kagome knew that this would be her chance to escape.

The doctor walked in with the results for Naraku. Kagome waited in the room as the doctor talked to Naraku out in the hallway. After a short while, Naraku came into the room. The expression on his face let Kagome know that she was in trouble. Naraku raised his hand and slapped Kagome so hard that she fell onto the floor.

"You wench!" he bellowed. "You are infertile? You cannot bear a son?!"

Kagome could not believe what she was hearing. Not only did Naraku take away her child, but he had also caused her to have the inability to bear a child at all. That was the last straw for her. She stood up at best as she could. But Naraku slapped her again, sending her to the floor once more.

"You are worthless!"

"Then why don't you just get rid of me?" Kagome said as she spat out blood.

"What?"

"You heard me… If I am so… worthless… then why don't you… just get rid of me…"

"You mean, set you free? I would be better off just killing you right now."

"Dying… would be the best kind of freedom… you could give me…"

"You welcome death?" Naraku questioned.

"Why not?... I have… nothing more… to lose…" Kagome responded weakly.

"Indeed… Seeing that I have not only taken away your family and that bastard's unborn child… but your precious lover as well… Death would only reunite the two of you…" Naraku thought long and hard about what to do with Kagome. "If you really want your freedom… Then I will grant it… under one condition."

Kagome knew what it was he was after. And she was willing to give it to him if it meant gaining her freedom. "My kingdom… It's yours… You can tell everyone… That I was ill… and died… I will disappear… forever."

That was exactly what Naraku wanted to hear. He brought up a contract for Kagome to sign and, to the best of her ability, she did. Naraku laughed as he left her on the floor, bloody and barely conscious. Sango, seeing what had happened, ran to Kagome's side.

"Kagome! Do you realize what you have done?!"

"Yes… I regained my freedom…" Kagome said before falling unconscious into Sango's arms.

'Kagome…' Sango thought. 'You really did want your freedom. And now… you have it.' Sango, to the best of her ability, carried Kagome out to a carriage where she would then take to the Western lands. 'You will be safe there…'


	11. Chapter 11

When Sango arrived at the gates, Miroku was relieved. Not only to see his wife home safely, but to see that she had succeeded in rescuing Kagome as well. He ran to the carriage but stopped once he had seen Kagome still unconscious.

"Is this what Naraku has done to her?"

"It's much worse…" Sango replied as Miroku helped her take Kagome inside. "Let's get her to Lord Inutaishou…"

Inutaishou, still mourning over his son's death sat in the throne room, but was quickly brought out of his mourning state when Miroku and Sango came in carrying Kagome. He stood up and hollered for his nurse maids to quickly prepare a room.

"Is that…"

Sango and Miroku nodded. Inutaishou was gravely upset by what lay before him. It was almost like hearing another one of his children had died.

"She is still breathing…" Sango said to Inutaishou's relief. "But she needs medical attention quickly."

Inutaishou nodded as he led them to the room. Miroku laid Kagome on the bed and left the nurse maids to do the best they could for her. Once out of the room, Inutaishou spoke.

"How did this happen?"

"Naraku… Had killed your son's unborn child… and made Kagome… unable to have children." Sango explained. "He became furious at Kagome when he found out… She had told him that if she was so worthless to him then he should free her… He was… going… to kill her milord… but she said that death would be the best thing he could do for her… because she would be reunited… with Inuyasha… So instead, he made her sign over her kingdom… and promise to disappear forever… for her freedom."

Inutaishou could not believe what Kagome had gone though in these past few months. He had desperately wished that his son were still alive to help Kagome heal… But he knew that was only a wish that would never come true.

When Kagome woke, she found a strange person hovering over her from her bedside. She could not make out any features for the stranger was wearing a cloak to conceal their identity. She immediately wanted to scream, but for some reason, did not feel threatened. Instead, she felt safer than she had in months so she closed her eyes once more and fell asleep.

Miroku came into the room to check on Kagome and saw the stranger. But to him, this was no stranger. He knew exactly who it was.

"I see you were able to rescue her," the stranger stated.

"Yes. But there was a cost. She had to give up her own kingdom in order to be free. But none the less, Kagome won over her own freedom… for you… Inuyasha."

The stranger looked over at Miroku with golden eyes and removed his cloak. Inuyasha stared back down at Kagome. "I wasn't able to save her myself…"

"But the news of your quote unquote death had given her the strength to fight back and come up with a plan to earn her freedom."

"I should've acted sooner. I should not have let her go a year ago… None of this would have happened if I would have just listened to my father…" Inuyasha whispered.

"Your brother is here now… Technically, your death gave the kingdom back to Sesshomaru… And because of Kagome, your brother was able to find love and take a Queen. So really, there was some good that came out of it."

"Rin?"

Miroku nodded. "Remember? Kagome introduced your brother to Rin three years ago. They've been happy ever since. So you got what you wanted… You got out of ruling a kingdom."

"No… I didn't get what I wanted… I got what I thought I wanted. But what I really wanted… Was Kagome. I wanted to have a family with her… I knew this the moment I danced with her that night at the ball… But I was too ignorant to say it… To tell her that she is all I need to survive… That she is the air I need to keep my blood pumping and my heart beating… I was too naïve to realize that Kagome cares for me… The same way I do for her… I didn't realize at that time that Kikyo was evil and was only playing as Naraku's pawn… And I fell for it… I am the reason that Kagome is lying in front of me right now… bleeding… childless… no longer able to have children… her mother, grandfather and younger brother killed by Naraku… All of this happened because of me… I have taken everything away from her…"

"I was hoping you would realize that," Inutaishou said from the doorway. "You owe Kagome a lot… But that does not mean that you go about feeling sorry for her. That will only anger her. You need to show her that you care for her. That you love her…"

"Father… I… I don't know how to…"

"Just say to her what you said to Miroku and I just now. Trust me… She will be thrilled to know that you are alive…" And with that, Inutaishou left the room. Miroku walked over to Inuyasha and put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Your father is right. If you want to make things right… start with her," he said before leaving the room.

Inuyasha knelt down at Kagome's bedside. 'Kagome... Forgive me...' he thought.


	12. Chapter 12

Kagome woke up to the morning light. As she turned her head to the side, she had seen Inuyasha asleep in the chair next to her bedside. 'Is this real?' she thought. 'Am I… dead?'

Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was awake as he too, woke up. "Kagome?"

"Inu… Yasha? Are you…"

"It's me Kagome," Inuyasha said, taking her hand. "I'm alive… I'm here…"

Kagome started to cry. "You're… Alive!"

Inuyasha hugged Kagome. "I'm alive. And so are you."

"Inuyasha…"

"I'm so sorry Kagome! For everything! For not being there… For being so selfish… For letting you marry Naraku and go through all of that torture… For not telling you… I love you Kagome!"

Kagome could not believe what she was hearing. "Inuyasha?"

"I mean it Kagome! I love you with all my heart and I am so sorry for everything that had happened! I am so sorry!" Inuyasha cried.

"I love you too Inuyasha… Don't… blame yourself…" Kagome said softly.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said before kissing her passionately. Kagome began to feel that amazing feeling that she always felt when he kissed her. She was glad that she was back home with Inuyasha.

As Kagome recovered over the next few months, the war had died down. Naraku had gotten what he had desired and his men had suffered many losses. Inuyasha and Kagome had become closer to one another. Every day seemed like a blessing to Inuyasha because Kagome was alive and in his arms. But, Kagome still feared Naraku's plans for Inuyasha's kingdom and what would happen if he would find out that Inuyasha was alive.

"Kagome… you don't have to worry about it. If Naraku has any plans in destroying our kingdom, we will make sure that we attack at full force. He will not come anywhere near you again! I promise," Inuyasha said, trying to ease her fears.

"It's not just that, Inuyasha. I'm worried about what would happen if he knew you were alive. He would do whatever he can to make sure that you no longer exist in this world."

"Well Naraku had calmed down for now. I guess his men aren't as strong as he thinks and he needs to recuperate. So I wouldn't worry about it for now. I won't let Naraku take what is precious to me ever again."

Kagome smiled. As they continued to walk through the halls, a wolf demon appeared in front of them.

"Lord Inuyasha! We have news about the masked spy that had been seen in our lands!"

"Kouga, what news about this spy do you have?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well… he has been spotted in the castle… he seems to be searching for something… or someone."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "And you haven't made any move to capture him?!"

"Milord, we have our men following him and keeping a close eye. If he makes any move towards anyone or anything in the kingdom or even so much as tries to leave the castle walls, our men will advance and capture him." Kouga replied.

"Good. Make sure that he does not leave. We have no clue who this man is and we do not need him to possibly be working for Naraku."

Kouga left to join his men in the pursuit of the strange masked man. Inuyasha took Kagome's hand.

"It's late. You should probably be resting now."

"Of course." Kagome replied. 'It's strange how much Inuyasha has changed since I last saw him.' She thought. 'He seems to care about my safety so much…'

As Inuyasha and Kagome arrived at her room, Inuyasha leaned down and kissed Kagome. "Be safe."

"I will be." Kagome replied before going into her room and closing the door. As she turned around, she saw a dark, masked figure standing by her bed. She wanted to scream, but no sound left her throat. She tried to move, but her body would not listen to her.

"Kagome… I am surprised that you, of all people would not know who I am." The masked one said.

Kagome fought, but finally was able to speak. "I do not know who you are nor whom you are working for, but if you have any association with Naraku, you will not escape from these walls."

The masked one laughed. "Naraku… The only association that I have with that menace is the desire to kill him. I am surprised that you do not have the same feelings for him. After all, he took something very dear from both of us…"

"Who are you," Kagome questioned.

"Kagome… you of all people…" he took off the mask, leaving Kagome speechless by who was behind it. "Should remember your own brother…"


	13. Chapter 13

"Souta?" Kagome could not believe it. Her own brother, who she thought to be dead, was alive in front of her. Once she recovered from the shock, she threw her arms around him. "Souta! Souta! You're alive! But… how? Naraku's men…"

"Killed Mother and Gramps… I was able to escape due to a friend of mine who dressed himself in my clothes and pretended to be me. Once I had escaped, I met an old man who said that he knew Inuyasha… so I followed him and he took me to a demon slayers village that had not been touched by Naraku's evil. There, I had trained in hopes that one day, I would be able to kill Naraku, and free you. But I had seen that you had already been rescued and had been taken to Inuyasha's kingdom, so I came here looking for you. Inuyasha's men did not make it easy for me to get in but I eventually made it into the castle."

"Other than this man that took you to the demon slayer's village… Does anyone else know that you are alive?"

"Sango… I told her not to tell you because I did not want people knowing, especially since you were entrapped in Naraku's castle."

Kagome looked at her brother with amazement. She never thought that her younger brother would care for her as much as he did. "Souta… Thank you!"

Souta hugged Kagome. He was glad that Kagome was safe and was not mad at him for not letting her know about him being alive.

Just then, Kouga and his men came barging into the room and tackled Souta.

"Wait! Wait!" Kagome yelled. "Kouga! Do not hurt him! It's alright!"

Inuyasha came running into the room and ran to Kagome's side, holding her back as she tried to fight Kouga.

"Kagome! What's wrong?"

"That masked man is no one to fear!" She yelled as she stuggled against Inuyasha's grip. "That is my brother!"

The room went silent. Kouga's men held on tight to Souta as they looked at Kagome.

"What did you just say," Inuyasha asked.

"He is… my brother… Souta…"

Inuyasha looked at Souta, then back at Kagome. "Men! Let him go."

As they released Souta, Inuyasha released his grip on Kagome. Kagome ran to Souta, embracing him in a protective hug. Inuyasha ordered Kouga and his men to leave and then knelt beside Kagome and Souta.

"So, you're the little troublemaker in our kingdom?" He said playfully.

Souta looked up at Inuyasha. "Yea… I didn't think that you would be the one to try and save Kagome. I thought you didn't care about her…"

Inuyasha looked down at Souta and thought about his choice of words. "Souta… I didn't save your sister… I tried… but I was too late… I figured that the best way to save her would be to fake my own death and sneak into Naraku's castle. But by the time that I was ready to put my plan into action, your sister had fought for her own freedom… and got it… Sango brought her here…"

Souta understood what Inuyasha was going through. He too had felt guilt for not being able to do anything in time to save his sister from what misfortunes had befallen her. He placed a consoling hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and smiled.

"At least you tried. That is more than enough for me. Your plan probably would have succeeded if not for the events that had happened that night. I was there… that night… I saw what had happened. I was going to do something, but then I had heard you speak sis." He said as he looked up at Kagome, pulling away from her embrace.

"Souta," Kagome started. "You were there? You… you witnessed that?"

Souta nodded. "After you signed that contract… and Sango took you to Inuyasha's kingdom… I ran to where Naraku walked off to. And… I found a way to defeat him."


	14. Chapter 14

"Souta?" Kagome could not believe it. Her own brother, who she thought to be dead, was alive in front of her. Once she recovered from the shock, she threw her arms around him. "Souta! Souta! You're alive! But… how? Naraku's men…"

"Killed Mother and Gramps… I was able to escape due to a friend of mine who dressed himself in my clothes and pretended to be me. Once I had escaped, I met an old man who said that he knew Inuyasha… so I followed him and he took me to a demon slayers village that had not been touched by Naraku's evil. There, I had trained in hopes that one day, I would be able to kill Naraku, and free you. But I had seen that you had already been rescued and had been taken to Inuyasha's kingdom, so I came here looking for you. Inuyasha's men did not make it easy for me to get in but I eventually made it into the castle."

"Other than this man that took you to the demon slayer's village… Does anyone else know that you are alive?"

"Sango… I told her not to tell you because I did not want people knowing, especially since you were entrapped in Naraku's castle."

Kagome looked at her brother with amazement. She never thought that her younger brother would care for her as much as he did. "Souta… Thank you!"

Souta hugged Kagome. He was glad that Kagome was safe and was not mad at him for not letting her know about him being alive.

Just then, Kouga and his men came barging into the room and tackled Souta.

"Wait! Wait!" Kagome yelled. "Kouga! Do not hurt him! It's alright!"

Inuyasha came running into the room and ran to Kagome's side, holding her back as she tried to fight Kouga.

"Kagome! What's wrong?"

"That masked man is no one to fear!" She yelled as she stuggled against Inuyasha's grip. "That is my brother!"

The room went silent. Kouga's men held on tight to Souta as they looked at Kagome.

"What did you just say," Inuyasha asked.

"He is… my brother… Souta…"

Inuyasha looked at Souta, then back at Kagome. "Men! Let him go."

As they released Souta, Inuyasha released his grip on Kagome. Kagome ran to Souta, embracing him in a protective hug. Inuyasha ordered Kouga and his men to leave and then knelt beside Kagome and Souta.

"So, you're the little troublemaker in our kingdom?" He said playfully.

Souta looked up at Inuyasha. "Yea… I didn't think that you would be the one to try and save Kagome. I thought you didn't care about her…"

Inuyasha looked down at Souta and thought about his choice of words. "Souta… I didn't save your sister… I tried… but I was too late… I figured that the best way to save her would be to fake my own death and sneak into Naraku's castle. But by the time that I was ready to put my plan into action, your sister had fought for her own freedom… and got it… Sango brought her here…"

Souta understood what Inuyasha was going through. He too had felt guilt for not being able to do anything in time to save his sister from what misfortunes had befallen her. He placed a consoling hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and smiled.

"At least you tried. That is more than enough for me. Your plan probably would have succeeded if not for the events that had happened that night. I was there… that night… I saw what had happened. I was going to do something, but then I had heard you speak sis." He said as he looked up at Kagome, pulling away from her embrace.

"Souta," Kagome started. "You were there? You… you witnessed that?"

Souta nodded. "After you signed that contract… and Sango took you to Inuyasha's kingdom… I ran to where Naraku walked off to. And… I found a way to defeat him."


	15. Chapter 15

***The Next Day***

Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Miroku and Kouga stood outside the castle gates, ready to head over to the council. Rin, Kagome, Souta, Sango and Kouga's wife Ayame stood by the doors after saying their goodbyes. Inuyasha knelt down to Souta and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I want you to take good care of your sister and the others while we are gone. You understand? Other than my father, you are the only man in the castle that I can trust to protect them."

"I understand Inuyasha! I promise that I will take care of them!" Souta replied.

"Good." Inuyasha stood up and left with the rest of the guys.

***Three days later***

Inuyasha and the guys finally reached the council and discussed the situation. Once Sesshomaru had gotten done explaining what was happening, the council spoke.

"You mean to say that you are the son of Lord Inutaishou and the dog demon that he was married to?" One councilman questioned.

"I am… After my birth, my father had met his late wife and my mother had left him. She had married Lord Onigumo, making him my stepfather and had another child who is known as Naraku." Sesshomaru replied.

"And you say that your younger brother, Naraku, is unfit for the throne that he now sits upon?" Another councilman asked.

"He has caused chaos in the kingoms. The Northern lands have been demolished. He murdered the king and queen of the Northern lands to ensure that he would gain full control over them after marrying the princess of the Northern lands. He raped his wife multiple times and had murdered her unborn child that he had sworn to protect before she had agreed to marry him. He has made her infertile with his actions and had released her on the agreement that she disappear and sign over her land to him."

"And how is it that you know all of this information?" a third councilman asked.

"The princess had been taken to us for shelter and care after she had been released two years ago. She was unconscious, bloody and on the verge of death when she arrived. We have been caring for her since. She is now engaged to my younger brother Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" the first councilman asked. "Is not he supposed to be dead?"

Inuyasha stepped out from behind Sesshomaru. "I am very much alive. Naraku wanted to kill me so that my kingdom would be weak enough for him to take over. However, my death was not as real as it had seemed. A trick, if you would, in attempts to save the young princess that had been tortured by Naraku."

The councilmen discussed amongst themselves quietly for a moment and then spoke once more.

"Where is this princess that you have taken in?" the second councilman asked.

"She is safe in our kingdom, away from Naraku's grasp." Inuyasha replied.

"We will need to question her before we make any final decisions on whether or not Naraku is unfit for his throne." The first councilman announced.

"Now wait a minute! The law clearly states that the eldest son shall take over his parents' kingdom!" Miroku stated.

"Exactly! So therefore, Sesshomaru is the rightful heir to Lord Onigumo's throne!" Kouga yelled.

"Sesshomaru had his real father's kingdom to rule." The third councilman stated.

"I have given up my rights to that throne. My brother, Inuyasha is to rule the Western lands." Sesshomaru stated.

"But we still need the princess's statement to prove any allegations against Lord Naraku. So until we have heard from the princess, we shall not take any action." The second councilman replied.

Just as Inuyasha was about ready to unsheathe the Tetsuaiga and attack the councilmen, Kagome opened the doors and spoke.

"I am the one you want to speak to."

"And who are you?" the first councilman questioned.

"I am princess Kagome of the Northern lands. I had married Naraku two and a half years ago after he had agreed that he would take care of my unborn child. I had been raped and tortured every day for several months by the same man that I had married and as a result, lost my unborn child and have become infertile." Kagome stated. "I stand here before you, alive and well because of these men before you. After I had made an agreement with Naraku, signing over my kingdom to him in exchange for my freedom, a friend of mine had taken me to their kingdom where these men had cared for me. I owe my life to them, for I would not be here today if it weren't for them."

The councilmen quietly spoke to one another and turned to Kagome.

"You claim to be the daughter of the queen of the northern lands. Tell us… how is it that your mother and grandfather let you marry Naraku knowing that this kind of calamity would fall upon their kingdom?" the third councilman asked.

"Because the law states that a princess must be married to a prince by her 21st birthday. Since the marriage agreement that we had arranged with Lord Inutaishou and his son, Inuyasha had not worked out, I had no other choice than to marry Naraku."

"So then, why now do you choose to marry the man that had put you into this situation in the first place?" the first councilman asked.

Inuyasha had become angry by what the councilman had said. But he knew it was true. It was his fault that Kagome had gone through all this.

"Because I had realized the mistake I had made in not trusting in my own heart. That is the lesson that my mother… and Lord Inutaishou had been trying to teach me while I was engaged to Inuyasha. I had not listened and I had refused to marry him despite the fact that I had and still love him. I had felt as though Inuyasha had not felt the same for me, so I left."

Inuyasha could not believe what he was hearing. He had never once heard Kagome speak about her past so openly.

"Once I had realized that the mistake I had made had destroyed my kingdom, caused my mother and grandfather to be murdered and caused me so much pain, I knew that I had to set things straight. So I bought my freedom and have spent the past two years trying to find a way to put an end to Naraku and restore peace to the kingdoms."

The councilman discussed once more and finally gave their decision.

"Sesshomaru, given the evidence that is before us, we grant you your kingdom in the Eastern lands. Naraku will be charged with high treason and the murder of several members of the royal family of the Western and Northern lands, including the unborn child." The first councilman said. "We are very sorry for your losses, Lady Kagome. If there is anything that we can do to help you, please ask."

Kagome knew exactly what to ask of the councilmen. "Please, I only ask that you make sure that Naraku pays for his crimes, Sesshomaru remains the Lord of the Eastern lands and… that my kingdom be given to its rightful heir. My brother, Souta whom Naraku thought he had murdered. Technically, my contract is no longer valid because my kingdom was not mine to give."

"Done. But you do realize that, with your contract no longer valid, your freedom is no more as well…" the third councilman said.

"I do…"

"Well then, as a token of the kingdoms' appreciation, we will make sure that your marriage to Naraku is no more."

Everyone looked up at the councilmen.

"Really?!" Kagome asked.

The councilmen nodded.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

"You may go now." The first councilman stated. And with that, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshomaru, Miroku and Kouga left for home.


	16. Chapter 16

***Three years later***

Kagome and Inuyasha were happily married for three years. Sesshomaru had married Rin and together, they have ruled over the Eastern lands and had a child. Souta had regained the Nothern lands and was working on restoring the land. Naraku had been killed for his crimes and all had seemed happy and peaceful in the kingdoms.

Inuyasha walked through the halls of his castle with Inutaishou, discussing the uprising events that were causing some issues in the kingdom.

"Inuyasha, I know that there is not much that you can do but if you do not produce an heir, your kingdom will eventually fall."

"Father, you know that Kagome can no longer have children because of Naraku! Hell, the whole kingdom knows that! I will not have an affair with another woman for the sole purpose of producing an heir! I won't do that to Kagome!" Inuyasha argued.

"Inuyasha… I know that you would never do that to Kagome… But you need to have at least one child to take over your kingdom when the time comes… The council knows of Kagome's condition which is why they are doing what they can to make it easier for both you and Kagome. You cannot be here forever and rule your kingdom. You cannot run from death. It will claim your life eventually."

"And until that time comes, I will not worry about who my next heir will be. Technically can't Sesshomaru's kid be the next heir?"

"Not unless Sesshomaru has another child… And even then, you would have to go through many things just to let Sesshomaru's child take over your kingdom."

Miroku approached them just then. "What are you two fighting over this time?"

"An heir for the throne…" Inuyasha growled.

"Oh, but I thought Kagome – "

"Kagome cannot bear a child! That leaves me with only one option and that is to have an affair with another woman and that is not going to happen!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Actually, that is not your only option…"

Inutaishou and Inuyasha stared at Miroku.

"You could always adopt…"

"Brilliant Miroku!" Inutaishou exclaimed. "That way, everybody is happy!"

Inuyasha stared at his father. "What about Kagome? Does she have a say in any of this? What about me? Do I get a say in any of this?"

Miroku put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Talk to Kagome. Discuss this with her. That is the least that you could do. I am sure that she will understand."

"Kagome has been feeling sick for the past few days so I'm not really sure that now would be a good time to talk to her about that. You know that children are a very touchy subject for her…" Inuyasha stated. "But I will at least try."

"Good. That's my boy." Inutaishou said. "But Inuyasha… I do understand how you feel about this. I am sorry that I had to push you so hard about it. It's what the council wants though… It is better to deal with this sooner than later…"

"I understand father. I'm just worried about Kagome. I don't know how she will take it…"

"She will be fine. She is a strong woman, just like your mother. I will talk to the council about laying off for a few years and letting you discuss it with Kagome."

"Thanks Father." Inuyasha said as he walked towards Kagome's room.


	17. Chapter 17

Kagome had just woken up and still felt terrible. She knew why she was sick but she wasn't sure how to tell Inuyasha. She decided to get up and get dressed. She had to at least try to eat something. She walked over to the bed to pick up a note that Inuyasha had left her.

_"I am discussing some matters with my father. I promise that I will be back as soon as possible._

_I love you with all my heart"_

_- Inuyasha_

Just as Kagome went to put the not back down on the bed, she noticed that someone was behind her. She quickly turned around towards the figure. Her eyes widened as she saw Kikyo aiming an arrow at her.

"Kikyo…"

"For Naraku," Kikyo said quietly as she fired the arrow into Kagome's chest.

Kagome stood there, clutching her chest where the arrow had entered her body. Slowly losing her balance, she began to fall back onto the bed. There she sat, trying to breathe and not knowing whether she should pull the arrow, or let it be. With a blink of an eye, Kikyo was gone.

Inuyasha walked into the room and saw Kagome. His heart dropped at the sight.

"Kagome!" he yelled as he ran to Kagome, catching her mid-fall. He laid her properly onto the bed and yelled for Sesshomaru.

"Kagome, Kagome, look at me. Stay awake. You got to stay awake. Come on Kagome," Inuyasha pleaded as Sesshomaru ran into the room.

"What happened?"

"Quickl! Get Doc! Tell him Kagome has been shot with an arrow!"

Sesshomaru left as quickly as he appeared. Inuyasha continued to try and keep Kagome awake.

But Kagome was getting weaker by the minute. She wanted to tell Inuyasha who shot her, but no words came out. She was barely able to say Inuyasha's name.

"Kagome, don't talk. Just stay awake. Please."

"Inu… Yasha… Kikyo… arrow…" Kagome could feel herself getting weaker. Her eyelids began to get heavy. She knew that she was in trouble now.

The doctor came running in and began to assess the situation while Inuyasha explained what had happened. Miroku, Sango and Sesshomaru ran into the room soon after.

"Based off of where the arrow is located… The only way that she would have a chance of surviving this would be to pull out the arrow…" he said at last. He looked at Kagome. "Milady… this is going to hurt… but please bear with me."

Kagome nodded and reached for Inuyasha. Inuyasha immediately took her hand.

"It will be ok, Kagome. Everything will be ok…"

Kagome winced in pain as the doctor removed the arrow. But what happened next shocked everyone.

"Very smart Kikyo… very smart." The doctor said more to himself than to anyone in the room.

"What? What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

"Kikyo laced the arrow with poison that would only be released once the arrow was removed. She was smart enough to aim the arrow where there would be no other choice than to remove it… therefore guaranteeing Kagome's death."


	18. Chapter 18

The whole room went silent as the doctor spoke. Inuyasha was the first to start giving commands.

"Sesshomaru! Find Kikyo! Get as many men as you can to help you! Doc, you try to find a cure for that poison! We have to save Kagome!"

"What about you?" Sango asked.

"Inu…yasha…" Kagome weakly said.

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "I am needed here. I will stay with Kagome." He said calmly.

And with that, everyone left to do as they were commanded to. Sango and Miroku stayed in the room to keep Inuyasha company.

Kagome began to stir. She squeezed Inuyasha's hand slightly and tried to speak.

"Inuyasha… do me… a favor…"

"Anything Kagome. Anything." Inuyasha said.

"Lay… with me…" she asked between ragged breaths.

He looked at her with a pain in his eyes. It tortured him to see her like this. He was finally able to calm himself enough to answer her.

"Kagome, it wouldn't be… I mean, you're in pretty bad shape… I mean…"

"Please."

He looked into her barely opened eyes. He could tell that she knew that her chances of making it were slim to none and she wanted her last moments to be with the man that she loved and felt at peace with. He nodded, giving in and laid on the bed, moving Kagome so that she was laying on him.

"Are you ok?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded. "Your heartbeat… is very… comforting…"

'If only you knew Kagome, that your heartbeat is comforting to me as well… And once that is gone, I won't be sane ever again,' Inuyasha thought.

They laid there is silence for a while. Inuyasha concentrated on Kagome's short, ragged breaths in efforts to keep himself calm in the final moments of Kagome's life. Sango and Miroku sat in one corner of the room, seeing how this tortured Inuyasha and how hard he was trying not to fall apart. Everyone looked up when Inutaishou walked into the room.

"So… it's true," he said calmly before walking over to where his son lay with his dying wife. He knelt down beside the bed and put a hand on Kagome's forehead.

"She is running a fever…"

"Yea, Doc said that Kikyo was smart in her scheme. She aimed where the arrow would have to be removed in order for Kagome to survive. But laced it with poison that would be released into Kagome's body once the arrow was removed, guaranteeing that Kagome would not live…" Inuyasha explained quietly. "Unless our men find Kikyo or Doc can come up with an antidote in time, Kagome will…"

Inutaishou placed his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Just try to think about her surviving this. Because the more you think about that, the more calm you will be able to be."

Just after Inutaishou said those words, Kagome stirred. Inuyasha quickly turned his attention towards the suffering woman in his arms.

"Inuyasha… I'm sorry… for everything... I… should have… told you… sooner…"

Everyone was confused by what Kagome was saying. They looked at one another, hoping that someone knew what she was talking about. But no one knew. Inuyasha kept his eyes on Kagome.

"What do you mean? Tell me what?"

"I… you're… you were… going… to be… a… father…"


	19. Chapter 19

Everyone, shocked by what Kagome had just said, once again looked at one another with disbelief.

"But… I thought," Inuyasha started. "You couldn't…"

"I… thought so… too…" Kagome struggled to smile. "But… I found out… last week…"

Inuyasha was stunned by the miracle that was just presented to him. This only made him more angry, not at Kagome, but at Kikyo… for taking away the two most important things to him.

"I'm sorry… that you… won't be able to… meet our child…" Kagome said quietly as she drew in her last breaths of life and closed her eyes.

"Kagome? Kagome? KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed. "Kagome, please! Please wake up! Don't leave, please don't leave me! I…" his voice became a whisper. "I need you… more than life itself…"

Miroku pulled Sango into his arms, Inutaishou put his hand on Inuyasha's back as Inuyasha cried for his lost love.

Not a moment later, Sesshomaru came in dragging Kikyo by her arm. Everyone looked up as Inuyasha flew at Kikyo, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the wall.

Sango and Miroku got up to try and stop him, but Inutaishou and Sesshomaru put out one arm.

"Let him be, he needs this," Inutaishou said quietly.

"What have you done?!" Inuyasha questioned.

Kikyo laughed as she stuggled for air. "Well, Inuyasha. I take it she didn't survive. And seeing that my arrow is no longer in her chest, my guess is that it was the poison that killed her."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her throat. "Where is the antidote?"

"Why?... You can't save her… not anymore… she is already dead…"

"Where is the damn antidote?!" Inuyasha yelled. "I know it is too late to save her… But the child… The unborn child that her lifeless body still carries still has a chance!"

Everyone looked at Inuyasha with a shocked expression. Even Kikyo. She saw that there was deep sincerity in his eyes. He was not lying about Kagome carrying his unborn child.

"Heh, but I thought… after Naraku… She could no longer conceive…"

"I am not joking around Kikyo… Where is the damn antidote?!" Inuyasha growled, digging his claws into her throat.

Kikyo pulled out a vile from her pocket. Inuyasha took it from her and handed it to the docter, who had come in during the interrogation. He took the vile and ran over to Kagome. He opened the vile and slowly poured the contents down her throat.

"All we can do is wait now…" the doctor said.

Inuyasha released his grip on Kikyo. As she fell to the ground, holding her bleeding throat and gasping for air, Inuyasha ordered that she be taken away and walked over to Kagome's side.

"I'm sorry Kagome… I'm sorry that I couldn't save you… back then… and now. But, I promise that I will not let our child suffer as you did."

Inutaishou knew that Inuyasha was serious about saving his child and raising it, despite no longer having Kagome.

"Doc, is there anything you can do? For both the baby and Kagome?" he asked so quietly that Inuyasha didn't notice.

"I'm sorry milord. The only thing we can do is hope for a miracle… If that antidote makes it through her system in time, the child may be strong enough to be removed and placed into another womb. But I do not think that the antidote will be able to bring Kagome back to the land of living… It would be almost impossible. The antidote would have had to been administered just moments after her death…"

"I understand. My son seems very serious about at least saving his unborn child… I can understand why, for Kagome. But I am not sure if that is the right path for him to choose. It would be very hard to take care of a child and raise a kingdom by himself…"

"Then I will help him, Father," Sesshomaru stated. "I believe that Inuyasha is doing the right thing by giving his unborn child a chance at life. I understand that, in his mind, this child is a way of letting Kagome's spirit live on, even if she is no longer living…"

Everyone looked at Sesshomaru, appalled by what he had just said. As he looked to see everyone's shocked expressions, he looked at Kagome's lifeless body and his brother who shed his tears for her.

"I at least owe Kagome this last bit of help. After all, if it weren't for her, I would have never met Rin and never know what true love is like. That was the one lesson I tried to teach Inuyasha when he left Kagome all those years ago. He understood that once he had realized what his foolishness had gotten Kagome into."

Sesshomaru walked over to his younger brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. Inuyasha looked up.

"I can only do this once…" he said calmly as he pulled out his sword.


	20. Chapter 20

Everyone was scared about what Sesshomaru was going to do. But Inutaishou understood.

'A blade that cannot cut… becomes a blade that heals. Finally, Sesshomaru has figured out the purpose of the Tenseiga…' Inutaishou thought as he smiled.

Inuyasha stood as Sesshomaru lifted his sword and swung it above Kagome's body, slicing the demons of the underworld. Everyone stared at Kagome's body. Inuyasha leaned forward intently. Then, he heard the most beautiful thing that could only imagine hearing again, a heartbeat coming from Kagome's chest. The color began to return to her face. Inuyasha fell beside her and took her hand into his.

"K-Kagome?"

Kagome stirred and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Inu… Yasha?..."

Inuyasha threw his arms around her and nuzzled into her neck.

"You're back! I can't believe it! You're back!"

Kagome hugged Inuyasha as tight as she could. She then looked up at Sesshomaru and reached for him. He put out his hand as she laid her own in his. Sesshomaru could tell that she was still weak but slowly getting stronger as life returned to her.

"Thank you," Kagome said, knowing that it was him who had saved her.

"Now… we are even," Sesshomaru replied. "Your unborn child was saved by the one who cannot seem to let you go at the moment."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha as he finally released her from the hug, but still held onto her tightly. Tears stained his face as he smiled at her. She wiped his tears as she asked if it was true.

"Every bit of it. I was willing to risk everything if it meant saving our child," Inuyasha replied.

"Thank you…"

Everyone was relieved to see that Kagome had been brought back. Miroku took Sango by the hand and started to lead her out of the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's give them some time alone… Inuyasha needs to regain his sanity and Kagome needs to rest," Miroku replied with a smile.

Sango looked over at her friends and nodded. She touched Inutaishou's shoulder as they left, motioning for him to leave as well. Sesshomaru soon followed.

"I am so glad that you are okay…" Inuyasha whispered.

"Inuyasha… Everything is going to be fine now… I promise." Kagome said as she stroked his ears. He got onto the bed and laid Kagome on top of him, holding her closely.

"Inuyasha!"

"What is it Kagome?!" Inuyasha said, getting worried.

Kagome took his hand and quickly placed it on her stomach. He waited for a few seconds, and felt something kick his hand.

"Is that?"

"Yes, that's our child," Kagome said sweetly.

Inuyasha nuzzled Kagome's neck and left his hand on her stomach, feeling the baby kick every so often.

"Thank you Kagome…"


	21. Chapter 21

Once Kagome recovered fully, Inuyasha made the decision to leave the kingdom for a while to keep Kagome and his unborn child safe. Sesshomaru agreed to Inuyasha's plan and said that he would help their father with the Western lands in their absence.

Together with Sango and Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome found a small village on the outskirts of the Northern lands and stayed in a hut with Miroku and Sango next door. There, they would stay, hidden from those who may be a threat to Kagome and their unborn child at least until their child was born.

As the next eight months passed, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku become accustomed to the life of the common man. There was no council to bother them, no annoting rules to obey and no being told what to do, how to dress or how to act. Once day, Sango and Kagome sat down in Kagome's bedroom and talked white Inuyasha and Miroku went to work, slaying demons that were terrorizing nearby villages.

"So, any day now?" Sango asked excitedly.

"Yup," Kagome said rubbing her stomach. "Any day now…"

"Is Inuyasha excited?"

"More than excited. He is always asking me if I am ok or if I need anything. I thought he was overprotective these past eight months, but he has been even worse this week." Kagome sighed.

"He just wants to make sure that you have a safe delivery, you know. He lost you twice already… I don't think he could handle losing you again…"

"I know."

Inuyasha walked into the room just as Kagome and Sango had finished talking. "So, how are you feeling Kagome?"

"I'm fine Inuyasha," Kagome responded as she smiled at her husband.

Miroku walked in and wrapped his arms around Sango. "I think that you and I should go for a walk. You know… and discuss a few things." He said as he winked at Sango. Sango smiled as she agreed to Miroku's request and said goodbye to Kagome.

Inuyasha sat down next to Kagome and kissed her. "Are you hungry? I can go get something if you want…"

Kagome nodded and Inuyasha left. He was gone for no more than five minutes when it started.

Kagome felt the pain in her abdomen and winced. She figured that it was just from hunger but then she began to feel sick. She stood up from the bed as another wave of pain hit her. It was then that she understood what was happening. She was in labor…

Inuyasha entered the room and saw Kagome bent over as though she were about to be sick. As he looked more closely, he noticed that she was breathing heavily. Kagome looked up at him once she realized that he was there. Panic overwhelmed her but she knew that there was no other choice than to have Inuyasha help her with the delivery.

"Inuyasha," she started. Another contraction hit her hard, almost causing her to lose her balance. Inuyasha rushed to her side and put his arms around her, supporting her.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"It's time… It's time Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he realized what Kagome meant. "But… there is no one around but you and me… How are we…"

"You are going to have to help me…" Kagome said as she winced in pain from another contraction.

"I… I don't know how… I… I mean…"

"Inuyasha! Now is not the time! You are the only one who can help me!"

Inuyasha knew that Kagome was right. She couldn't do this on her own and he most definitely knew that he was not ready for something like this. He picked her up bridal style and laid her onto the bed. 'Damn… of all times for Miroku and Sango to go for a walk…' he thought.

"What should I do Kagome?"

Kagome tried to catch her breath as she answered him. "Just… hold my hand… for now…"

Inuyasha did as he was instructed and took hold of Kagome's hand. The force in which she used to crush his hand made him wince. But he knew that in order for his pain to be this bad, her pain had to be ten times worse.

After an hour, Kagome began to feel as if she was getting nowhere. She was tired, weak and was beginning to run a fever.

'My god, how long does it take to go for a walk?!' Inuyasha thought, desperately wanting Sango to show up and take over. He didn't like seeing Kagome like this and not being able to help her in any way.

Kagome began to lose all hope as she felt another contraction and pushed. Inuyasha winced as Kagome crushed his hand once more. She laid back on the pillow and began to lose consciousness. Inuyasha immediately noticed his mate's state and began to worry.

"Kagome, you need to stay awake. You cannot fall asleep."

"Inuyasha… I… have been pushing for an hour and a half and have gotten nowhere… Unless Sango gets back… I don't think…"

"Stop it! Don't say things like that!" Inuyasha said. "You're going to be fine… You and our child are going to be fine."

Kagome smiled. "I'm sorry Inuyasha." She said as she began to lose consciousness.

"Kagome! Don't give up Kagome!"

"Nothing you say will change the fact that she is very weak," a female voice said.


	22. Chapter 22

Inuyasha turned around to see Kikyo standing in the doorway. His first reaction was to kill her but he was too worried about Kagome and his unborn child to move.

Kikyo looked at Inuyasha, surprised that he had not tried to kill her right there. She looked back at Kagome and started walking towards her.

Inuyasha began to growl. Kikyo stopped.

"I am only going to help her…"

"I highly doubt that your definition of help does not involve killing her…" Inuyasha growled back.

Kikyo smiled. "I see you are still very cautious about what I might do to her even though I have done nothing to either of you in the past eight months. But what you seem to forget is that I am a priestess… I am the only one who can help Kagome at this moment… So I am your only hope… I suggest you trust me."

Inuyasha thought about what Kikyo had said. She was right. With Kagome in her current state, she was beyond his help. Kikyo is the only hope that she had. He looked back at Kikyo and nodded.

Kikyo walked over to Kagome and placed her hand on her forhead. "She is running a fever. Inuyasha, I need you to get some towels and cold water. We need to get rid of her fever before she will be able to continue."

Inuyasha did as he was instructed. Even though he did not like the idea of having Kagome in a room alone with Kikyo, he knew that this was the only way he could save Kagome and his child.

Once Inuyasha entered the room with the towels and water, Kikyo began to dip the towel in the water and dab Kagome's forehead.

"Inuyasha, I need you to keep doing this for a bit," Kikyo said, handing Inuyasha the towel. "I need to wash up before I can help Kagome deliver. Once Inuyasha nodded, Kikyo left the room.

As Kikyo walked towards the washroom, Sango and Miroku walked through the door. Sango immediately went to attack Kikyo but was stopped by Miroku.

"Sango, Inuyasha would not let Kikyo in here unless there was a good reason." Miroku said calmly. "Why are you here, Kikyo?"

"Sango, I need you to wash up. Kagome is in labor and is very weak. Inuyasha is in the room right now trying to get her fever down. Once you are washed up, you can take his place. Miroku, I need you to keep Inuyasha as calm as possible. I am only here to help."

Sango quickly rushed to the washroom with Kikyo. Miroku stayed in the main room and waited for Inuyasha to come out.

Inuyasha watched Kagome and intensely listened to her breathing. Even though she was unconscious, her breathing was still very heavy and short. He looked up and, in his mind, sighed with relief when he saw Sango enter the room.

"Inuyasha, I can take it from here. Miroku is in the main room waiting for you." Sango said calmly. Kikyo walked in and checked Kagome's fever.

"Her fever seems to be gone. She should be okay now Inuyasha. You don't need to worry."

Inuyasha was not convinced. But he knew that he had to trust Kikyo for the time being. 'As long as Sango is here… I guess I can trust Kikyo…' he thought as he left the room.

Sango walked over to where Inuyasha previously was and started to try and wake Kagome.

"Kagome, Kagome. It's me Kagome. You need to wake up dear." Sango said as she stroked Kagome's hair.

Kagome began to open her eyes. "Sango?"

"Kagome, you need to stay awake. We are here to help you. You and your child are going to be fine."

"We?" Kagome asked.

"You need more than one person to help deliver a child, Kagome." Kikyo stated.

Kagome looked up and saw Kikyo at the foot of the bed. Kikyo sat down onto the bed.

"Now, are you ready to bear a son?" Kikyo said and smiled.

Kagome felt as though she could trust Kikyo at that moment. 'Even though she tried to kill me eight months ago, she seems very persistent in making sure I deliver this child…' she thought.

Inuyasha paced back and forth and began to freak out once he heard Kagome scream in pain. As he leapt for the door, Miroku held him back.

"Inuyasha, this is normal. Child bearing is very painful…"

Inuyasha's ears pressed to the back of his head as he heard Kagome scream again. He began to whine and whimper as he continued to pace back and forth.

Miroku could tell that Inuyasha did not like hearing his wife in pain. But he also knew that there was nothing that Inuyasha could do for her. The birthing room was forbidden to men and Inuyasha was lucky enough to have been in there at all, even though it was only until the women came to help. Finally, there was a scream that drew out a sigh of relief from Miroku. Inuyasha's ears perked up as he, too, heard this cry. Sango walked out and put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"You can go in and see them now." She said as she smiled and took Miroku's hand.

Inuyasha stood still for a moment, but finally got up the courage to walk into the other room. There, he saw Kagome with a small blanket wrapped in her arms. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and smiled.

"Come, Inuyasha. Come meet your daughter." She said softly.

'Daughter?' Inuaysha thought as he slowly walked over to Kagome's side. He looked over at the blanket once he sat beside Kagome. He saw two very small dog ears that looked very similar to his. He looked at Kagome in amazement, asking a silent question. Kagome understood his curiosity and nodded. Inuyasha pulled open the blanket a little more and saw white hair, just like his. As he pulled at the blanket a little more, he saw the face of his daughter. It was just like looking into a mirror, just a lot younger. As he touched her face, her eyes opened. Inuyasha was amazed as he saw a pair of beautiful golden amber eyes. 'Is this what Kagome sees every time she looks at me' he thought.

Kagome laughed lightly at Inuyasha's reaction to seeing his daughter. Inuyasha could not take his eyes off of his daughter. She was his daughter. His and Kagome's perfect little angel. Tsuki Inu.


	23. Chapter 23

As the years passed, Inuyasha and Kagome raised their daughter in the quiet village. Sesshomaru and Rin continued to rule the Western lands as well as their own but even Inuyasha knew that this wasn't going to last forever, so he wasn't very surprised when he got the letter.

_Inuyasha,_

_The council is beginning to make a fuss. They say that you must return to your kingdom or be charged with unlawfully abandoning your kingdom, which is punishable by death.I know that you want Tsuki to know what it is like to be normal but it is time to tell her about her true bloodline and come home. Your kingdom needs you._

_Your brother,_

_Sesshomaru_

Inuyasha handed the letter to his wife and walked outside. He knew Tsuki would not want to leave the village, but there was nothing he could do. Sesshomaru was right, she needed to know. Once Kagome read the letter, she joined Inuyasha outside.

"So, what are we going to tell her? We have to move? She is a real princess and needs to take lessons now? She is going to be forced into an arranged marriage by the council if she does not find a suitable mate by her twenty first birthday?" Kagome asked. "Inuyasha… I didn't want this for her…"

"Kagome, we have no choice. We are royalty. We can't escape from who we are. Even if Tsuki were to live a normal life, she would always be a princess and would be treated as such. It is better to tell her the basics first and, as she grows older, tell her the other things that she will have to sacrifice for her kingdom." Inuyasha replied. "It would be wrong to keep such a thing from her all her life."

"But what happened to what we agreed on? We agreed to not say a word about this royalty business until her eighteenth birthday. Then she could decide her own fate."

"Kagome, we can still do that. But for the time being, she will be taking lessons and will need to be prepared."

"Prepared to become a Queen. The council does not care whether or not we have a normal life or not! All they care about is that someone is sitting on a throne and is ruling their kingdoms! It's not fair that they get to make these decisions for us!"

"Kagome! You are starting to sound like me when we were younger. And you know where that got us…"

"I know…" Kagome said as she calmed down. "I just thought that this would all end when we got married. And when it didn't, I thought it would end when we had Tsuki… But now I am beginning to think that it won't end until we are dead…"

"It won't end even then, dear… This is a never ending cycle. Your parents, my parents, your grandfather… all of them had to deal with the same thing. My father still receives commands from the council and he is no longer the Lord of the Western lands…"

Kagome looked out into the distance for a while and sighed. "Well, I guess we better tell her…"

"I guess." Inuyasha replied.

Tsuki ran through the village with Sango and Miroku's kids Kohaku and Saiya. She was much faster than them because of her demon heritage so she did more of a jog instead of a run.

"Tsuki!" Kagome called. "Tsuki! You need to come home dear!"

Tsuki's ears perked up at the sound of her mother's voice. She turned to Kohaku and Saiya, who were clearly exhausted from playing with Tsuki.

"I have to go home, my mother is calling for me."

"We didn't hear her," Saiya whined. "How come you can?"

"I have sensitive hearing remember? My ears can hear just about anything!" Tsuki responded as she ran home. Once she reached her mother, she came to a skidding halt.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Tsuki, your father and I need to talk with you about something…" Kagome said.

"Ok! What about?"

"Let's go inside," Kagome said as she led Tsuki into the house. Kagome sat down beside Inuyasha and Tsuki sat across from them.

"Tsuki… we have to move. Your uncle Sesshomaru wants us to move into his castle in the Western lands." Inuyasha spoke.

Tsuki could not believe what she was hearing. "What? Why do we have to move there? I like it here!"

"We know darling, but we have to move down there. Your uncle Sesshomaru really needs us and he misses you." Kagome replied.

"But I don't wanna leave!"

"We have no choice Tsuki" Inuyasha said.

"I'm not going! You can't make me!" Tsuki yelled as she ran out of the house and into the forest. Kagome stood up to chase afterher but Inuyasha put a hand on her shoulder.

"I will go get her…" he said. And with that, he ran after Tsuki.


	24. Chapter 24

Tsuki ran to the one place that she felt safe and that was the tree of ages. She curled up in a ball and started to cry.

"Are you okay?" a young male voice asked.

Tsuki looked up and saw a boy that seemed to be around her age in black fur clothing (kind of similar to Kouga) "Who are you?"

"My name is Ookami. I am the son of the chief of the wolf demons."

Tsuki remembered her father once telling her to steer clear of the wolf demons because of a betrayal to the royal family in the Western lands when she was two. But this wolf demon didn't seem like the kind of boy who would betray someone…"

"I am… Tsuki Inu… but everyone calls me Tsuki. I am the daughter of a half demon and a human…"

The wolf demon stepped back. "You are a half demon?!"

Tsuki looked up at the wolf and nodded.

"I see… So why are you crying? And where are your parents?"

"I ran off. They want me to move away from here… But… I like it here. I don't want to leave."

Ookami walked over to Tsuki and sat beside her. "Ok… So don't leave. Why do they want to leave this place anyway? This is the most protected land in all of Japan. Perfect place to raise a family, according to my father…"

"My father says that we have no choice and that we have to go… I have to live in a castle in the Western lands…"

Ookami knew exactly what Tsuki was talking about. 'So she is the princess that has been missing from the kingdom? My father told me to stay away from the royal family…' he thought.

After an hour of searching, Inuyasha followed Tsuki's scent to the tree of ages. There Tsuki sat talking to a wolf demon boy.

"Tsuki!" Inuyasha yelled as he lept for her and the wolf demon, landing in between them.

Ookami was quick enough to get out of the way before Inuyasha could slash at him. Inuyasha glared at Ookami and growled.

"Father! Father! Leave him alone! He didn't do anything wrong, Father!" Tsuki yelled.

From within the trees, more wolf demons appeared with a pack of wolves, surrounding the three of them. Kouga walked out from the shadows.

"Inuyasha…"

"Kouga…"

Kouga moved beside Ookami. "I see you have met my son…"

"I have. And if he comes anywhere near my daughter again –"

"Oh what would you do Milord? Have him beheaded? Is my son not worthy of the princess of the Western lands?" Kouga played.

Tsuki looked up at her father. "Princess?"

Inuyasha sighed. 'Thanks Kouga…" he thought.

"My wolves have you surrounded. We could just as easily kill you and your daughter. That would solve a lot of problems don't you think?" Kouga laughed.

"Father, please." Ookami pleaded. "Don't kill them. They haven't done anything wrong."

Kouga looked down to his son. "Ookami, do you hear yourself? They are half breeds! Neither human or demon! Low, filthy, halfbreed muts!"

Inuyasha was immediately angered by Kouga's words. Catching Kouga off guard, Inuyasha swung at him, landing a punch right to the face and knocking him down.

"Thing is… This halfbreed mut can take you down anytime, mangy wolf!" Inuyasha said as he grabbed Tsuki and ran off towards the village.

"After him!" Kouga yelled. "I want that mut dead!"

"Father! They are coming!" Tsuki yelled. Inuyasha knew that he had to get Tsuki to safety and the village would be the only place to go. But he also knew that he would not be able to outrun the wolves. He jumped into a tree and put Tsuki down.

"Tsuki… I need you to get to the village as quickly as you can. Let your mother know what is going on. Whatever you do, do not look back and do not stop running until you are with your mother." Inuyasha said.

"But Father, what about you?"

"I will be fine. I can take on these mangy wolves." Inuyasha said as he started to unsheathe the Tetsuaiga. "Now go!"

Tsuki jumped out of the tree and ran towards the village. Some of the wolves ran after her but Inuyasha used the wind scar to fend them off. 'Hurry Tsuki…' he thought to himself.

Tsuki ran into the village and to her mother. Kagome, relieved to see Tsuki, ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Tsuki! Thank goodness you are alright. Where is your father?"

"Mom, Father is fighting off some wolf demons! But there are so many! I don't think that Father can defeat them all!" Tsuki quickly explained.

Kagome ran back into the house and grabbed her bow and arrows. "Tsuki, where is your father now?"

"He is in the forest, somewhere between here and the tree of ages!"

"Stay here Tsuki! I will be back with your father shortly." Kagome said as she got onto a horse and rode off into the forest.

Inuyasha knew that there were too many wolves for him to fend off but he kept using his wind scar. Just when he was beginning to lose consciousness, Kagome's arrow flew through the pack of wolves. The wolves stared at Kagome as she ran to stand in front of Inuyasha.

"One more move and you are all dead!" Kagome said as she drew another arrow.

The wolves began to back down. Kouga came out from the shadows. "Lady Kagome… My, even after bearing a child, you still maintain such a perfect figure."

"Kouga. Take your wolf demon tribe and leave. We do not want any more trouble between our families."

"Indeed. But it was your pathetic half demon that caused this in the first place. He attacked my son."

"Only because he was with my daughter," Inuyasha growled. "How was I supposed to know whether or not he was sent by you to kill her?! You have turned your back on the royal family once, who is to say that your son will not follow in your pawprints?"

Kouga laughed. "You are right. I did turn my back on the royal family, only because you turned your back on us first. You left your kingdom. Why? So that you could raise your precious daughter safely in a quiet little village, leaving us to deal with the chaos that followed."

"We are returning to the kingdom! We did not abandon you!" Inuyasha said.

"Ha! The only reason you are returning is because the council will charge you with abandonment of your kingdom! I am not stupid! If you had a choice, you would not go back to that kingdom! You would live the rest of your sad, pathetic lives in that village!"

"You are right Kouga." Kagome responded. "If we had a choice… But because of who we are, we don't have a choice! We never had a choice! We are always being told what to do, how to act, how to behave, how to dress… who to marry… when to have a child… We never have a say in our fate. Even if we try to escape it, we will always end up back where we started in this never ending cycle…"

Kouga thought about what Kagome had said. "Very well then… We will let you live, this time… But next time, I will kill. Put you out of your… misery." He commanded his tribe to move out and they left Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha stood up, finally regaining his strength.

"Let's go home Kagome…"

Kagome nodded and walked back to the village with Inuyasha.


	25. Chapter 25

Ookami knew exactly what Tsuki was talking about. 'So she is the princess that has been missing from the kingdom? My father told me to stay away from the royal family…' he thought.

After an hour of searching, Inuyasha followed Tsuki's scent to the tree of ages. There Tsuki sat talking to a wolf demon boy.

"Tsuki!" Inuyasha yelled as he lept for her and the wolf demon, landing in between them.

Ookami was quick enough to get out of the way before Inuyasha could slash at him. Inuyasha glared at Ookami and growled.

"Father! Father! Leave him alone! He didn't do anything wrong, Father!" Tsuki yelled.

From within the trees, more wolf demons appeared with a pack of wolves, surrounding the three of them. Kouga walked out from the shadows.

"Inuyasha…"

"Kouga…"

Kouga moved beside Ookami. "I see you have met my son…"

"I have. And if he comes anywhere near my daughter again –"

"Oh what would you do Milord? Have him beheaded? Is my son not worthy of the princess of the Western lands?" Kouga played.

Tsuki looked up at her father. "Princess?"

Inuyasha sighed. 'Thanks Kouga…" he thought.

"My wolves have you surrounded. We could just as easily kill you and your daughter. That would solve a lot of problems don't you think?" Kouga laughed.

"Father, please." Ookami pleaded. "Don't kill them. They haven't done anything wrong."

Kouga looked down to his son. "Ookami, do you hear yourself? They are half breeds! Neither human or demon! Low, filthy, halfbreed muts!"

Inuyasha was immediately angered by Kouga's words. Catching Kouga off guard, Inuyasha swung at him, landing a punch right to the face and knocking him down.

"Thing is… This halfbreed mut can take you down anytime, mangy wolf!" Inuyasha said as he grabbed Tsuki and ran off towards the village.

"After him!" Kouga yelled. "I want that mut dead!"

"Father! They are coming!" Tsuki yelled. Inuyasha knew that he had to get Tsuki to safety and the village would be the only place to go. But he also knew that he would not be able to outrun the wolves. He jumped into a tree and put Tsuki down.

"Tsuki… I need you to get to the village as quickly as you can. Let your mother know what is going on. Whatever you do, do not look back and do not stop running until you are with your mother." Inuyasha said.

"But Father, what about you?"

"I will be fine. I can take on these mangy wolves." Inuyasha said as he started to unsheathe the Tetsuaiga. "Now go!"

Tsuki jumped out of the tree and ran towards the village. Some of the wolves ran after her but Inuyasha used the wind scar to fend them off. 'Hurry Tsuki…' he thought to himself.


	26. Chapter 26

Tsuki ran into the village and to her mother. Kagome, relieved to see Tsuki, ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Tsuki! Thank goodness you are alright. Where is your father?"

"Mom, Father is fighting off some wolf demons! But there are so many! I don't think that Father can defeat them all!" Tsuki quickly explained.

Kagome ran back into the house and grabbed her bow and arrows. "Tsuki, where is your father now?"

"He is in the forest, somewhere between here and the tree of ages!"

"Stay here Tsuki! I will be back with your father shortly." Kagome said as she got onto a horse and rode off into the forest.

Inuyasha knew that there were too many wolves for him to fend off but he kept using his wind scar. Just when he was beginning to lose consciousness, Kagome's arrow flew through the pack of wolves. The wolves stared at Kagome as she ran to stand in front of Inuyasha.

"One more move and you are all dead!" Kagome said as she drew another arrow.

The wolves began to back down. Kouga came out from the shadows. "Lady Kagome… My, even after bearing a child, you still maintain such a perfect figure."

"Kouga. Take your wolf demon tribe and leave. We do not want any more trouble between our families."

"Indeed. But it was your pathetic half demon that caused this in the first place. He attacked my son."

"Only because he was with my daughter," Inuyasha growled. "How was I supposed to know whether or not he was sent by you to kill her?! You have turned your back on the royal family once, who is to say that your son will not follow in your pawprints?"

Kouga laughed. "You are right. I did turn my back on the royal family, only because you turned your back on us first. You left your kingdom. Why? So that you could raise your precious daughter safely in a quiet little village, leaving us to deal with the chaos that followed."

"We are returning to the kingdom! We did not abandon you!" Inuyasha said.

"Ha! The only reason you are returning is because the council will charge you with abandonment of your kingdom! I am not stupid! If you had a choice, you would not go back to that kingdom! You would live the rest of your sad, pathetic lives in that village!"

"You are right Kouga." Kagome responded. "If we had a choice… But because of who we are, we don't have a choice! We never had a choice! We are always being told what to do, how to act, how to behave, how to dress… who to marry… when to have a child… We never have a say in our fate. Even if we try to escape it, we will always end up back where we started in this never ending cycle…"

Kouga thought about what Kagome had said. "Very well then… We will let you live, this time… But next time, I will kill. Put you out of your… misery." He commanded his tribe to move out and they left Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha stood up, finally regaining his strength.

"Let's go home Kagome…"

Kagome nodded and walked back to the village with Inuyasha.

When they got back to the house, Tsuki ran to her father, relieved that he was okay.

"Tsuki… we need to talk." Inuyasha said quietly.

Tsuki nodded. She had a lot of questions that needed answered.

Once they sat down, Tsuki spoke.

"I am… a princess?"

Inuyasha and Kagome nodded. "We were going to tell you when you are older." Kagome said.

"But as you witnessed, that mangy wolf knows who we are… Who you are…" Inuyasha replied.

"So does that mean that you two are a king and a queen?"

They both nodded. "We are the King and Queen of the Western lands. We left for a few years because there were enemies that were trying to harm you and your mother before you were born. We found this village and planned to stay here until your eighteenth birthday. Then we would tell you of your heritage and let you decide for yourself. But the council is beginning to make a fuss and they want us to return. We have no choice. If we do not return then we will be charged with crimes that are punishable by death…" Inuyasha said.

Though still young, Tsuki understood what her father was saying. "So we have to return?"

Kagome nodded. "Honey, I know that it is a lot to take in right now… But please bear with us. We were trying to give you a choice in whether or not you wanted to rule a kingdom… Instead of forcing you into it…"

"What your mother is trying to say is that there is a lot more to ruling a kingdom than just giving orders. For the next fifteen years, you are going to be taking classes on how to behave, dress, talk, walk and be a princess… All this is preparing you for your future… Your mother and I had to do this when we were your age so we know what you will be going through. That is why we wanted to give you a choice."

"But because of the council… I no longer have a choice… right?"

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other, then to Tsuki and nodded. "It is a hard fact of life… Because of who we are… we never have a choice. Not really." Kagome said.

Tsuki nodded and thought for a minute. 'Do I really want to give away my freedom?' she thought. She looked up at her mother and father and spoke.

"I will become the next queen. And I will be the best one ever!"

Kagome and Inuyasha were stunned by what their daughter had said but they nodded and instructed that she go to sleep for they were leaving in the morning. Tsuki bid her parents goodnight and went to bed. As Kagome went to leave the room, Inuyasha stopped her.

"What is it Inuyasha?"

"Are you sure that this is going to be the best thing for her? I mean… we should have told her exactly what she is being prepared for…"

"Inuyasha… Tsuki will learn in time. I think that it is a bit too early to be telling her that."

Inuyasha kissed Kagome and they both went to sleep. The next morning, they would leave the village with Sango, Miroku and their children and head towards the Western lands.


	27. Chapter 27

The ride was long but they finally reached the Kingdom in the Western lands. They were greeted by Sesshomaru and a very pregnant Rin.

"Rin!" Kagome exclaimed. "You look absolutely radiant!"

"Thank you." Rin replied. "Due any day now."

"Congratulations! "

Inuyasha walked over to Sesshomaru and patted him on the back. "I see it didn't take you long!" he laughed.

Sesshomaru smiled. "Yea. When she told me… I couldn't have been more happy."

Tsuki never left her father's side. She looked up at her uncle shyly and smiled.

Sesshomaru picked her up and swung her around. "I see that you have grown quite a lot! You look just like you father, with your mother's charm."

Tsuki laughed as Sesshomaru put her down. She couldn't wait to explore the castle and hang out with her uncle some more.

But once inside, the head of the council greeted them.

"Lord Inuyasha… Lady Kagome… I am pleased to see that you have made the right choice by coming home… In case you have not been informed within these past seven years I am Bonkotsu. I and my brothers Kyōkotsu, Mukotsu, Jakotsu, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, and Ginkotsu are who now make up the council…"

"What happened to the old councilmen?" Kagome asked.

"They… were not very… appreciative of their role in the kingdoms. So they were removed from the council and were replaced by us."

"So you are the ones who requested that we return… Why?" Inuyasha asked.

"Simply put, you are the King and Queen of the Western lands. And because you are the King and Queen of the Western lands, you must rule your kingdom respectfully instead of leaving it in the care of another…"

Tsuki remained behind her father, not sure of what to make of Bonkotsu.

Bonkotsu quickly took notice of Tsuki. "And I see that you were able to keep the young princess safe as well. Where was this place that you were hiding in that kept you and your family so safe?"

"Somewhere away from the kingdoms, where no one would know who we are and therefore would not want to attack us." Inuyasha responded coldly.

''Watch your tongue Milord. Remember that you are not the highest member here… If you are deemed unfit for your throne… You will suffer the same fate as another king that was brought down… I believe that it was you who had brought his sins to the council before his execution was it not?"

"That topic should not be brought up… Especially in front of my family. That is one memory that we do not look forward to remembering." Inuyasha responded.

"My apologies Milord… I was just simply reminding you of who is really in charge…"

Inuyasha nodded. "Understood."

"Now, to the matter at hand. Your daughter is going to be taking lessons as any other princess would. We are going to try a little experiment here though… very similar to what your parents have done when you two were younger… except, instead of waiting until three years before the special date… we are going to start now…"

Kagome and Inuyasha were puzzled by what Bonkotsu was saying but they stood their ground and kept listening.

"The council had chosen a mate for your daughter. From here on out, your daughter will be spending time with this young man until the set date when they will be joined for eternity."


	28. Chapter 28

Kagome grabbed Tsuki as Inuyasha stepped forward. "My daughter will not be forced into this at this age! She is only six years old! This is far too young of age to be in an arranged marriage!"

"Hold your tongue Inuyasha!" Bonkotsu warned. "If the council says that she will have a specific mate, then she will have that specific mate!"

Inuyasha growled at Bonkotsu. Tsuki could sense the tension between her father and the councilman although she did not understand what it was that Bonkotsu had said that upset her parents.

Bonkotsu ordered that Kagome and Inuyasha take their daughter to her room where she will meet her teacher. As they were leaving, Bonkotsu called out to Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned to face Bonkotsu.

"I will be watching Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded and they continued out the door and to Tsuki's room. As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman who was dressed very professionally.

"Oh! Hello! I am Marlene and I am the Royal Advisor for the Queen!" she said cheerfully. "Milady, I will be teaching your daughter all there is to know about being a princess!"

"Thank you very much, but I don't think she really needs to have any lessons right now. We just arrived and we would like to get some rest." Kagome said.

"Of course! But first thing tomorrow morning, I expect beautiful clothes, hair done up, and absolutely spotless!" she said as she walked out the door.

"Mom… Do I really have to do what she says?" Tsuki asked.

"Yes dear, Marlene is going to teach you everything you need to know. But for now, get some sleep." Kagome answered as she tucked Tsuki into bed.

"Ok, Mom."

The next morning, Tsuki was awakened by Marlene.

"Get up! Get up! A princess must never sleep in and must never be late!"

"Marlene!" Tsuki growled. "It's too early to be awake!"

"Get up! Get up! A princess must never talk back! Come on now! Wash up! Get dressed! A princess must always be prepared!"

Tsuki slowly got out of bed and went to the washroom. After she cleaned herself, she put on her robe of the fire rat that her father had made her and wore it the same way Kagome would normally wear Inuyasha's robe of the fire rat. Then, she walked back to the bedroom.

"Oh my!" Marlene exclaimed. "This will not do! This will not do at all! My dearest, what are you wearing?!"

"My robe of the fire rat…"

"Oh no no no no no! A princess never wears clothing like that!" Marlene said as she rummaged through the closet and picked out a lavender dress. "Now this is more you! Quickly now! Put it on, put it on!"

Tsuki did as she was told and put on the dress. She did not like it at all. It was way too uncomfortable and was way too poofy for her liking. She looked up at Marlene. "I don't like it!"

"Well of course you don't! That's because your hair isn't up! Now, let's see… Let's do this, hide those ears, put this in a bun… and there! Now you look absolutely radiant!"

Tsuki looked at herself in the mirror and growled at the person staring back at her through the mirror. She looked nothing like her.

"A princess must never cry, never show emotion and must never pout or voice her opinion. Now… let's go to your first lesson…"

As Tsuki endured her first five hours of her lessons, she began to feel trapped. There were so many rules and so many things that she must do. Finally, Marlene stopped the lesson.

"Tsuki, there is someone here for you to meet. You remember your lesson on greetings right?"

Tsuki nodded. Marlene glared at her. Tsuki remembered what she did wrong.

"Sorry, yes Marlene. I do remember." She said politely as she curtsied.

"Alright! Bring him in!"

A young boy with short, dark brown hair walked into the room. He was dressed in a tux, and was about Tsuki's age. He walked over to her and kissed her hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, your Grace. I am Hojo, prince of the Southern lands."

Tsuki gracefully curtsied. "The pleasure is mine for it is my honor and privilege to meet you."

"Now, we shall continue our lessons, Tsuki! So you can become the perfect bride for this young man!"

Tsuki finally understood what had made her parents so upset last night. She may not have known what arranged marriage meant, but she did understand the term "bride".

"What?!"

"Tsuki! A princess must never raise her voice! Especially when she in in the presence of her husband!"

Tsuki ran out of the room and off to find her mother.


	29. Chapter 29

"Mom! Mom!"

Kagome heard her daughter's cries and ran towards her. "Tsuki! What is it darling?"

"Mom! They… they want me to become a bride!"

"Honey… Who told you that?"

"Marlene… she said… that Hojo… is to be my husband… and I his bride…" she said between sobs. "Please say it isn't true Mom! Please say it isn't true!"

Just then Inuyasha walked up to them. "What's going on?"

"Please Father!" Tsuki yelled as she clung onto Inuyasha. "Please say that I am not going to become someone's bride!"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome and then back to his crying daughter. "Tsuki… I cannot promise you that you will not become someone's bride… But I can promise you that you will not become someone's bride anytime soon…"

Tsuki continued to cry in her father's arms. She knew what this meant. All this training was not for her to become a princess… but was for her to become a bride.

***Twelve years later***

Kagome walked through the halls of the castle as she thought about what today was. She walked towards her daughter's room and opened the door. Tsuki was sitting on the bed with a depressed expression on her face as Marlene did her hair and makeup and finished fastening her dress.

"Marlene? Can please give us a minute?" Kagome asked.

Marlene looked up at Kagome. "But she is not ready! Once she is ready, then she will have time to talk! But until then, I must hurry and finish her hair and makeup! She must not be late for her own wedding!"

"The queen and princess are never late… Everyone else is simply early…" Kagome said as she sat down and waited for Marlene to finish. Once she did finish, she left the room, leaving only Kagome and Tsuki.

"Tsuki… I know you do not have a choice in this… Neither did I when I was your age…"

"But you married father… You love him… Hojo… Is not for me…" Tsuki responded.

"Honey… Hojo is a good guy… I married your father after being forced to marry someone that torchured me, raped me, killed my family… and almost killed me. I promise that your father and I would never do that to you. We won't ever let that happen…"

Tsuki knew that her mother was right. They would never let anyone harm her. But it was still hard to go to that church and marry a man that she grew up with but still barely knew. "Mother… Can you… give me a minute alone?"

"Of course dear." Kagome said as she left the room and shut the door.

Inuyasha and Kagome sat at the wedding and waited for the ceremony to begin. The entire kingdom had come to attend this event, even the gaurds, which is why Tsuki's escape was so easy. The ceremony began but there was no bride. Finally, Marlene came running down the aisle with a scream.

"She's gone! She's gone! Princess Tsuki Inu is gone!"


	30. Chapter 30

As soon as Kagome had shut the door to her room, Tsuki took out her hair, took off her wedding dress, and wiped off her makeup. Then she put on her robe of the fire rat, left a note on the nightstand and climbed out the window. Once out of the castle walls, she ran as fast as she could towards the woods in the Northern lands, back towards the village that she had spent her first six years of life.

It took her three days on foot to run back to the Tree of Ages, where she had met a young wolf demon by the name of Ookami. Once there, she sat down at the base of the tree and cried. And once again, she heard that voice.

"Are you okay?"

Tsuki looked up, but instead of a young wolf demon like the last time, there was a very handsome wolf demon about her age staring down at her.

"Ookami?"

"Tsuki?! What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in the kingdom of the Western lands?!"

Tsuki began to cry once more. "They tried… to make me a bride… I didn't… want to marry… the man they picked for me… So I ran off…"

"How long did it take you to get here?"

"Three days…"

"Then your father is probably already on your scent… I am surprised that he hasn't found you yet!" Ookami said.

"Yea… the council probably won't let him leave the kingdom… They watch you like a hawk there…"

"Then how did you escape?"

"Everyone was attending my wedding… So when I had some alone time… I climbed out the window."

"Smooth! I bet that they were really surprised to see a wedding without a bride!" Ookami laughed. "I tell you what. You come with me, join my pack, and you won't ever have to worry about that kingdom of yours! I promise!"

Tsuki thought about what Ookami was offering her. After a moment, she looked up at Ookami and took his hand. "As long as I don't have to dress up…"

"Nope."

"Act a certain way?"

"Nope."

"Eat a certain way?"

"Nope."

"Be forced to marry someone?"

"Absolutely not! What is up with all of these rules?"

"They are all rules that I had to abide by…" Tsuki replied. "And that's not even the half of it! Haha!"

"Wow, I'm glad my dad was never that strict!"

"Speaking of which, I am a half demon remember? What will he say about this?"

"You don't need to worry about him! I run my own pack now!"

"Really?! When did that happen?"

"A few years ago. I left my father's pack because he wanted me to hook up with some wolf demon girl… Man, she was a nag! I thought for sure that my father couldn't have picked a worse mate for me… Anyway, we got into an argument and I told my father that if being in the pack meant that I had to hook up with her, then I didn't want to be a part of it anymore. And I left." Ookami explained.

"You too huh? Why do people feel as though arranged marriages are the solution to everything? Why not just let them find their own mates? Your father's pack, my father's kingdom… My mother had to do the same thing that I was going to do. But in her case, it turned out to be for the worst. She was lucky enough to get away from her husband and back to my father. This man killed her family, took over her kingdom and tortured her… I know that my parents would never do that to me but I still do not like the idea of being forced to marry someone that I barely know…"

Ookami understood what Tsuki was saying and really began to feel bad for her. 'If only she knew that she was the real reason that I couldn't marry that wolf demon…' he thought.

"Tsuki… Ever since we met that day… I haven't been able to forget you. I always wondered how you were doing, where you were, how much you've grown, what you looked like now compared to then… all these things and more. Even though it was only for a brief moment, I feel as though we had known each other for a long time. Like we are long distance friends who would one day meet again."

"Well, you seem to have some psychic powers because here we are again. Back to the same place where we first met. That was so many years ago."

They finally arrived at a cave. Tsuki wondered if this was the place where his pack lived, she soon found out.


	31. Chapter 31

At least ten wolves and fifteen wolf demons came running out to greet them. "Ookami! Ookami! You're back! Did you find anything?" they asked.

"No, I didn't. But I did find Tsuki. I want you all to protect and respect her as though she were one of us. Members from her kingdom will probably come looking for her, so we need to keep them off of her scent." Ookami replied.

"It shouldn't be that hard!" one wolf demon said.

"Yea, since your father turned his back on the kingdom in the Western lands, they no longer have the wolf demons to sniff out intruders!" another wolf demon said.

"That is true. They do not have us wolves… But they do have Inuyasha… and Sesshomaru… and Inutaishou. All of which are great dog demons that have tracking skills that are equivalent to our packs'. And since it is Tsuki that they are looking for, you know that Inuyasha won't rest until he finds her, just like any parent." Ookami stated.

Tsuki knew that Ookami was right. Her father would never stop looking for her. Unless… "We need to fake my death!"

The wolf demons stared at her. "What?!"

"Fake my death! That would cause them to stop looking because they would think that I am dead!"

"But how are we going to do that without them knowing that you are alive? We kind of need a body and your scent." Ookami asked.

"Kaede… Follow me Ookami! We are going to the village!"

Ookami followed Tsuki to the village. Once they were there, they stopped.

"What's wrong?" Tsuki asked.

"You want me, a wolf demon, to just waltz into a human village?! Are you crazy?! They will kill us!"

"No they won't. Kaede would not let that happen to me… She knows me and my family well and she knows that I would not bring a demon into the village unless I knew that he would not attack the people in it." Tsuki said as she kept walking.

As they walked through the village, Tsuki noticed that Ookami was right. The humans were not comfortable with having a demon in their village. But she continued to walk towards Kaede's hut. There, they were ambushed by a couple of villagers.

"Back you demons! Back!"

"You may not see Lady Kaede!"

"Please, we don't mean any harm!" Tsuki pleaded. "We just want to talk! Don't you all remember me? I spent the first six years of my life here…"

"Hold on just one moment." An old female voice ordered. "This young lady be the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome?"

"Yes" Tsuki answered. "I am Tsuki…"

"Ye leave these two alone." The woman said. "They are not here to harm us. What can I do for you child?"

"Kaede! It had been so long! I need you to make me appear to be dead."

Kaede stepped back. "Now why would you want me to conjure up that kind of spell? Are you trying to get away from someone?"

"Yes… I am trying to get away from my kingdom… They were trying to force me to marry… so I ran away and I know that they must be on my scent. I want my freedom back Lady Kaede! I want the freedom that I had when I was six! Where I could be myself, wear what I want and not be forced into anything that I do not want to do…"

"Your father and mother would not approve of me doing such a thing… Do you realize the pain that it would cause them to believe that their own daughter is dead?"

"Yes. I do understand. But they understand what I am going through. They understand because they, too have been through this…"

"Very well… I will conjure this spell… it will work for 24 hours. You must make sure that no one is near you when you wake, or else the spell will be revealed. Take it just before they discover you. It will give your body the illusion of death."

"Of course."


	32. Chapter 32

***Three days later***

Inuyasha ran through the forest, following Tsuki's scent. He had been searching for seven days since Tsuki's disappearance from the wedding. 'What were you thinking Tsuki' he thought. 'You could possibly be killed for this.'

Tsuki caught her father's scent almost immediately. "They are on my trail… My father is with them."

"Then let's make sure that your father is the once who sees you…" Ookami said. "Is everyone in position?"

The wolf demons nodded from the trees above and the bushes below. Ookami looked at Tsuki. "It's time you take that potion…"

Tsuki nodded. " I will see you in 24 hours."

Inuyasha noticed that Tsuki's scent was getting stronger and all of a sudden fade. He ran as fast as he could towards the scent, only to come to a sudden stop when he saw Tsuki on the ground. He slowly walked up to her and sniffed, hoping that this was some sort of trick. But deep down, he knew that it wasn't. He looked around and saw some of his men torn to shreds as though be wolf demon claws.

"Tsuki…"

"She was trying to escape your men…" Ookami said as he came out from the trees. "We saw as they chased her. They cornered her… as she tried to attack to defend herself, they fought back and killed her. My pack and I tried to defend her… But we were too late. I am sorry Lord Inuaysha… We tried everything we could."

Inuyasha looked around him and saw that what Ookami said had to be true. Behind him, more of his men ran towards them.

"Milord! Milord! Did you find her?"

"Yes… and your men killed her! They should have waited until I got here! I… I could have talked to her… Got her to come home…" he stood up and caught a glimpse of her scent growing stronger. 'She is alive… Tsuki you clever girl…'

Ookami spoke. "Milord… I know that the village was the one place where your daughter felt at peace… If you like… we will bury her there…"

"Alright. It is the least that we can do for her… You may do that wolf… I appreciate you trying to help her… And please… take care of her… she is all that I have left…"

Ookami knew that Inuyasha had caught on. "Understood."

Inuyasha knelt down beside his daughter one last time. This time, he could sense that Tsuki was beginning to wake. He placed his hand on her head and whispered into her ear.

"You are safe now, my daughter. Stay hidden for a while… Your mother and I will keep your secret."

"We will always love you Tsuki… Always." He said out loud. "Men, the wolves will take care of her… We should go back and report this to the council…"

The men knew that Inuyasha would want to mourn the death of his daughter with his wife so they did not argue when he ordered that they head back. Inuyasaha looked at Ookami. "If there is anything I can do to repay you…"

"It's fine. We just don't want to be bothered by your men and live in peace." Ookami said.

"Done."

Once Inuyasha and his men left, Tsuki opened her eyes. Hearing every word that her father had said, she began to cry. "He knows… yet… he didn't say anything… he said that he and Mom would keep my secret… They really do understand."

Ookami walked over to Tsuki and sat down beside her. "Yea. Your father really is a great guy… He really cares about his daughter so much that he would risk losing his kingdom so that his daughter could live freely…"

"I have to help them… They don't want to be there any more than I do… I need to get them out of there…"

"Tsuki. Without you to take over the kingdom… your parents cannot rule. They need an heir. Therefore, when your father returns to the kingdom with the news of your death… they will be released from the kingdom. The council will have no choice but to let them go. Whoever you were intended to marry will probably inherit your kingdom now unless the council find someone else who is deemed fit to rule."

"But they could be charged with abandoning their kingdom! That is punishable by death!"

"Not if the council banishes them from the kingdom because they no longer have an heir." Ookami stated. "Your quote on quote death is probably the best thing that happened for your parents."

Tsuki still found that hard to believe. She wanted to see for herself that her parents were going to be okay. "Ookami… Please… come with me. I won't be able to rest until I see with my own eyes that my parents will be okay."

Ookami nodded. Knowing that there was no stopping her. "Alright. But please, just wait a few days before going anywhere. Give your father time to explain to the council what has happened so that you are not immediately caught."

"Okay."


	33. Chapter 33

***One week later***

Tsuki knew that her father would have had time to explain the situation by now and decided that now would be the best time to check on her parents. She walked towards the Tree of Ages where she thought of what had originally brought her to where she was now. She never wanted to leave the village, so she ran to this tree for protection. She broke free of the prison that was known as her kingdom and came back to this same tree. And both times that she came to this tree, it seemed to lead her to Ookami. She began to wonder if it was some sort of sign, like she was most protected not by her parents, but by him. Even though she had not seen him in so many years, she came to the conclusion that she felt the same about Ookami as he did for her. When he confessed that he could not stop thinking about her while they were separated, she had realized that she had done the same for him. 'Why?' she thought. 'What is it about him that makes me feel as though I have known him my whole life… I had only seen him once before now and yet… I cannot seem to let myself marry another like the council wanted me to or separate myself from him once more…'

Just then, Ookami came up behind her. "You notice that this tree has a lot of meaning to you?"

Tsuki nodded.

"It holds a lot of meaning to me as well. After you left, I would come back to this tree every day, hoping that you would someday come back and remember…"

"Let's go." Tsuki said as she headed towards the Western lands. Ookami followed her and they spent the entire trip in silence. Whenever Ookami tried to start up a conversation, Tsuki would just nod, never once saying a word.

When they finally arrived at her kingdom, Tsuki ran. Ookami found it a bit hard to keep up with her but still ran after her.

Finally Tsuki stopped and jumped onto a branch in a tree that overlooked the castle. Ookami followed suit. There, they saw Inuyasha talking to Bonkotsu and the six other councilmen.

"Inuyasha… Kagome has not been able to produce a second heir and unless she does, you will not be able to rule this kingdom." Bonkotsu said.

"Kagome is not your slave to be used to produce an heir! Conceiving my daughter was a miracle in itself! It would take more than a miracle to have it happen again!"

"Inuyasha, watch your tongue! Do you remember what happened to your father?"

"Inotaishou…" Ookami whispered.

"My grandfather?" Tsuki whispered back.

"I do not care anymore! I have had it with you council! I would rather die than let my family be disgraced by the likes of you! My father died as an honorable ruler! He died believing in a kingdom where a prince or princess can marry whomever they deem worthy for themselves! He believed in a kingdom where the people would not fear their king because he might be ordered to send the troops out to take the oldest daughter from each family to give birth to the next heir! I believe in that and just like my father, I will die believing in that. If anyone is unfit to rule a kingdom, it is you! You are the most bloodthirsty, arrogant, conniving people I have ever met. Such a throne is not fit for ones such as you! I will die… doing what a king is supposed to do. Protect his kingdom… from all who threaten it." Inuyasha stated.

Bonkotsu smiled. Tsuki began to feel sick from the feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to run into the castle and kill the seven councilmen who murdered her grandfather and tortured her parents. Her attention was diverted when the doors opened and two guards came in with Kagome, holding her by her arms.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

"Kagome! Why you bastards!"

"I would chose my words carefully if I were you Inuyasha… Or else your dear Kagome would have to pay…" Bonkotsu said.

Kagome struggled to break free from the guards' grip but it was no use. The more she struggled, the tighter their grip became.

Tsuki growled as she witnessed what was going on. Just then, Sesshomaru came barging into the room.

"Bonkotsu, what is the meaning of this?! What is this I hear that our father is dead?!"

Bonkotsu laughed. "I was wondering how long it would take before you would hear of this news. Just in time too… I have a welcome home gift for you Milord… Ginkotsu!"

Ginkotsu stepped forward and began to attack Sesshomaru. Inuyasha stood in front of Sesshomaru, taking the hit. Inuyasha stood up and once again stood in front of Sesshomaru.

"If you even dare think of touching my brother… You will have to go through me first."

Tsuki watched as her father defended his brother. She growled and began to lean forward. Ookami put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tsuki… If you go down there, you will be caught for sure. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes. But I cannot sit here and let my family be eliminated in front of me…" she said as she lept down and ran into the castle. Once inside, she found the secret passageway that her father had shown her and ran to the room that her family was in. The passageway led her to a balcony in the room. She arrived just as Ginkotsu was about ready to attack her father. She jumped off of the balcony and in front of her father.


	34. Chapter 34

The whole room was silent for a moment. Finally Bonkotsu spoke.

"You are supposed to be dead, are you not?"

"Your men can't kill me that easily. After all, I know that it was your men that brought my father along to track me down. I took a potion to mimic death. As I fell unconscious, your men found me before my father. Knowing that my father would be there soon, they quickly tried to dispose of me, thinking that I was asleep. If I had not had the wolves protecting me… Your men would have succeeded in their mission."

Inuyasha could not believe what he was hearing. 'The wolf was telling the truth… he wasn't just playing an act… they actually tried to kill her when I wasn't around…would they have killed me too, if the wolves had not killed them?' he thought.

"Indeed." Bonkotsu said. "I had ordered my men to kill you once they found you. Simply put, you are to be charged with abandoning your kingdom."

"Since when does refusing to marry someone you know you could never love abandoning your kingdom?" Tsuki asked. "You wanted to be rid of us… you have made that perfectly clear. But why? Why did you bring us back? We were perfectly happy with our lives in a quiet village, alone and safe. But you had ordered that we come back or else be charged. You keep us safe for fifteen years, have me take over a thousand lessons and then, you try to kill us?! What was the point of all this?"

"The point?" an ominous voice said. "You want a point?"

Kagome and Inuyasha immediately recognized the voice. Kagome began to panic as she tried to get away from the gaurds restraining her. Tsuki immediately took notice of her mother's panic and wondered if she knew this person.

From the shadows, a man appeared. He walked over to Kagome and placed a hand on her chin. "My dear sweet Kagome… Has it been so long? You haven't aged a bit since the last time I saw you…"

"Naraku! Keep your hands off of her!" Inuyasha yelled as he attacked the person. A tentacle came from Naraku and headed for Inuyasha.

"Father! Look out!" Tsuki yelled.

Inuyasha dodged just in time. "Inuyasha… I thought you dead… Was it not you who had also faked their death? Hm… Like father… like… daughter…" Naraku said as he looked at Tsuki.

"I am surprised my dear… That you had the guts to run away from your kingdom… I will admit… you were very smart not to marry Hojo…" he said as he transformed into the one that everyone had known as Hojo.

"What?!" Tsuki asked. "You… you were…"

"Yes my dear… I have been playing this entire family since the beginning. I knew that Inuyasha would not be able to recognize my scent if I covered myself with the boy's scent. I killed the real Hojo years ago… Long before you two were to be married."

Inuyasha growled. 'That bastard!' he thought. 'Not only did he have his way with Kagome… But he was trying to have his way with Tsuki as well! This guy is sick!'

"How did you survive?" Inuyasha asked.

Naraku turned towards him. "I didn't… After my demise… I was reborn from the ashes so to speak. Before my inevidable death, I had made a deal with Bonkotsu. So after I had been… Executed, Bonkotsu came to my resting place and revived me. And in return I gave him the power to revive the Band of Seven, who you now know as the council. All of this was planned by me long before you thought it was over."

"But what about Kikyo?" Sesshomaru asked. "Why did you not ask her to revive you? Why did you not tell her of your existence?"

"That foolish woman. I believe that she was the one who had delivered your daughter, was she not? For if it weren't for her, Kagome and your precious daughter would not be here…" he said to Inuyasha. "Kikyo was merely a pawn. After she had delivered your child, she had discovered that I had been watching her. She betrayed me and tried to end me. As punishment, she suffered the fate that would have befallen you many years ago."

"Why didn't you attack us then? If you knew where we were… and Kagome being in the state she was in, you could have easily ended us right there."

"That stupid Kikyo… knowing that I was following her, she had placed a barrier around you and your precious family. As a result, I could not get to you so I had to bring you to me. I waited until the barrier began to weaken. I had soon detected that the barrier would be completely gone once this little half breed turned eighteen, for she would then be old enough to defend herself and see the true evil for what it is."

"Why you!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha!" a male voice yelled.

Inuyasha turned around to see Miroku and Sango restrained by Naraku's guards just like Kagome.

"Miroku! Sango!"

Tsuki caught the scent of two familiar people and looked up onto the balcony. There, she saw Kohaku and Saiya. She nodded, letting them know that she knew they were there and turned her attention back to Naraku.

"So… you have caused a lot of pain in this kingdom… you have tortured my mother, tried to kill my father, killed my grandmother and great-grandfather, killed my grandfather… now, you try to kill me, and every member of my family." Tsuki said.

"Indeed. And what do you think you are going to do about it?"

"There is one thing that my father taught me… and his father taught him… this is my kingdom… no matter where I am or how much I try to escape… I will always be who I am… The ruler of this kingdom. I may not be married… But I am still the princess and the next heir to this throne. I will do what my grandfather and father have done. I will protect this kingdom from anyone who threaten it."


	35. Chapter 35

"And how do you hope to defeat me? You have no army? And no amount of humans can even so much as scratch me!"

"She does have an army!" Ookami yelled as he opened the doors. Ten wolves and fifteen wolf demons ran in and surrounded the room.

"Ha! This tiny pack will not stand a chance against me!" Naraku laughed.

"Maybe not! But we will!" a male voice said. Everyone turned to the door. There stood Kouga and his pack. They all ran into the room and completely surrounded the perimeter, leaving no exit.

"I thought you no longer protected the crown." Inuyasha said.

"I don't… But I do protect my kin." Kouga responded as he looked at Ookami.

Naraku took in the scene around him. He knew that he was at an overwhelmingly disadvantage. "Well ain't this nice… The wolf demon tribe is here to protect the kingdom that they had once turned their back on… You cannot seem to make up your mind on whose side you are on! Well come on then… Just try to kill me…"

Kouga gave the order and the wolf demons attacked. Inuyasha went after Bonkotsu as Sesshomaru fought off Ginkotsu. Tsuki ran towards the guards holding her mother and released her from their grip.

"Tsuki… You were… You were supposed to be…"

"I know mother. But I am alive. I am sorry that I left… And that I abandoned our kingdom…"

"No, don't apologize. You came back… That is all that matters now."

Tsuki ran towards Naraku as Kagome got her bow and arrows and released Miroku and Sango. Kohaku and Saiya grabbed their weapons that their mother had made for them and joined in on the fight as well. Once Sesshomaru had finished off Ginkotsu, he moved on to one of the other members of the Band of Seven. Inuyasha fought long and hard with Bonkotsu but was forced to start fighting Jakotsu. Ookami helped Inuyasha as Tsuki fought with Naraku.

"You sure do fight an awful lot like your father! It's a shame you don't have his sword!" Naraku said to Tsuki.

"I don't need it… I have my own sword." Tsuki replied as she jumped up onto the balcony and grabbed the sword from a suit of armour. It glowed purple and began to speak.

"So… you must be _his_ grand-daughter… I was sure that it would be _his_ son that would awaken me once more…"

Inuyasha looked up at Tsuki and saw what she had done. "So'unga… why Tsuki… Why of all swords would you choose So'unga?" he said quietly to himself.

"You cannot afford to be distracted!" Jakotsu yelled as he attacked Inuyasha. Kagome released an arrow and shot Jakotsu's sword.

Tsuki ran towards Naraku. Naraku quickly dodged the attack and took a few steps back.

"I see… So you intend to smite me with the very sword that is known to possess the one who wields it. I would like to see how long your human half would hold out against this sword…"

"The only one who will be effected by this sword is you!" Tsuki yelled as she sliced at Naraku, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Heh… Just like your grandfather… He did the same thing when he fought to protect lady Izaiyoi…"

Inuyasha turned at the sound of his mother's name. Ookami made sure that Jakotsu did not try to attack Inuaysha as he walked towards Naraku and Tsuki.

"Indeed… The night that your father was born, a man by the name of Takemaru came into the birthing room. Tormented by the fact that his lover was bearing a child fathered by a demon, he came to Lady Izaiyoi and killed her."


	36. Chapter 36

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "That cannot be true! My mother… I knew her for the first twelve years of my life! She was alive! And she did not die until I had turned twelve!"

"You are right Inuyasha. Your mother did die when you were twelve. But that was not the only time she had died… Your father, kowing that Lady Izaiyoi would be in danger in her own kingdom, also showed up at the castle. Once Takemaru had explained what he had done, your father became enraged. Takemaru tried to fight your father but was defeated in a mere second when your father sliced off his left arm with So'unga. Then, your father ran into the castle and found your mother… it was there that he would use the Tensaiga to revive your mother and return to his kingdom with his family. He would later entrust the Tetsaiga to you and the Tensaiga to Sesshomaru and keep So'unga to himself in fear that it would possess anyone would would dare try to weild it."

Inuyasha lunged for Naraku but was stopped by Bonkotsu once more. Tsuki, realizing Naraku's distraction, charged at him again. Naraku quickly dodged and fought back. The battle seemed to go on forever when Tsuki and cornered Naraku.

"How is it that you are not possessed by the So'unga? You are a human, are you not?" he said weakly.

"No… I am not just human. I have my father's blood flowing through my veins… And flowing through his viens is my grandfather's blood… Therefore I have my grandfather's blood as well… I am not just human… but I am demon too… and that demon side of me… is what keeps me from being possessed. The demon blood that runs through my veins is stronger than my father's… Hence why he cannot wield it… But this sword… was meant to kill those who threaten my kingdom!" Tsuki yelled as she pierced Naraku's heart, killing him at last. "May you never return to the land of the living…"

Inuyasha and the others finally defeated Bonkotsu and the Band of Seven. It was over. The council would no longer be a nuisance to the people of the kingdoms and those ruling them and Naraku would cease to exist. Inuyasha walked over to Tsuki and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Your grandfather would be proud… You, of all people… are worthy of ruling and protecting this kingdom…"

"Thanks Father!" Tsuki said as she hugged Inuyasha tightly. She then placed So'unga back in the suit of armour.

"So how did you know that So'unga was there? No one knew where my father had hid it before his demise…" Inuyasha asked.

"I… don't know… I just saw this light coming from the armour and I felt as though I needed to get what was up there…"

"So… Father entrusted the So'unga to Tsuki Inu…" Sesshomaru said. "It does not surprise me that he would do that. He knew that she would find it when she most needed it."

"You're right Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said. "Father was always looking out for the kingdom. Even in death…"

"So now comes the matter of the wedding…"

Everyone looked at Sesshomaru with shocked expressions. "I believe that Tsuki deserves to have the chance to do what no other member of the royal families have done. Tsuki… I believe that you have a choice to make. You can leave the kingdom in someone else's care and live a normal life… or you can choose to stay in this kingdom and become queen."

Tsuki thought about the choice that Sesshomaru was giving her. She looked over at Ookami and then at her parents. She knew that this decision was going to be hard and would change her life forever. "I made a decision… long ago… I told my parents that I would be the best queen ever…" She looked over at Ookami and then back at Sesshomaru. "And I intend to do just that."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Very well… then there are matters to discuss. For instance, the wedding issue. What you did was right and it stood out to all of us. I think that you are capable of ruling this kingdom… without a king by your side. Does everyone agree?"

"You know Sesshomaru, I believe that that is the best idea that you have ever come up with!" Inuyasha said.

"I agree." Kagome replied. "That is a perfect idea!"

"Thanks… but… I would much rather take a husband if that is alright with you…" Tsuki said.

Everyone stared at Tsuki. "What?!"

"I know that I cannot rule a kingdom on my own… And… I am okay with the thought of becoming a bride… So long as I can chose who my husband will be."

Tskui looked over at Ookami. "Ever since we met that day… I haven't been able to forget you. I always wondered how you were doing, where you were, how much you've grown, what you looked like now compared to then… all these things and more. Even though it was only for a brief moment, I feel as though we had known each other for a long time. Like we are long distance friends who would one day meet again. And we did. I know now that it was not just coincidence that you and I met once again in the same place that we met before… It was destiny… And, if you will have me… I would like to take you as my husband."

Ookami smiled and took Tsuki's hand. "I would be honored in having you be my bride."

Tsuki hugged Ookami as tightly as she could. Inuyasha and Kouga stared at the two in disbelief.

"So… looks like the two of us are going to be related…" Kouga said.

"I guess so…" Inuyasha replied.

"Wait a minute… You two aren't fighting about this?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha and Kouga looked at each other. "Nah!" they said at the same time.

"Well then come on! We got a wedding to prepare for!" Miroku said.

"That's right! Let's get this show on the road!" Sango replied.

Kagome and Sango took Tsuki into another room and quickly got her dressed for her wedding. Inuyasha, Kouga, Sesshomaru and Miroku made sure that Ookami looked presentable.

The wedding was the most beautiful wedding that had ever been held in the kingdom. Flowers everywhere, wolves and humans and demons all joined together in a marvelous ceremony. And they all lived happily ever after…

"So what happens next Lady Izaiyoi?"

"Who knows, my grandchild. For it is their story now… And they will choose how it ends. I believe that your younger sister, Tsuki Inu and your parents Kagome and Inuyasha will continue to live their lives peacefully. Now come, there is someone that we must greet… your grandfather, my dearest Inutaishou."


End file.
